Teen Exploits
by Paddylicious
Summary: At the end of OoT, Zelda sends Link back to relive his childhood, only the Great Deku Tree is still dead, and in the absence of a Deku Tree, the Kokiri are aging along with Link. Link and co are now teens and, heh, it's a sweet story, really.
1. Festival of Pairs

Teen Exploits

This story begins several years after Ganon was defeated and Link was sent back to the past so that he could have a childhood and blah blah blah. The Deku tree is still dead, though. A Deku sprout has been growing, but it still doesn't have enough power to prevent the Kokiri from aging. The Kokiri, the "children" of the forest, now the "teenagers" of the forest, had aged right along with Link. Things change when people stop being kids and start becoming adults, though they're all only around sixteen. Hormones raging, the Kokiri didn't know what these strange feelings overcoming them meant. Not having gone through this process before, this was understandable. Link explained to the Kokiri what he knew from the outside world about people and the dating rituals that he had observed. After learning all of this, almost all of the Kokiri felt the need to pair up with one of the opposite sex. So, this year, Mido decided to start a tradition. Every summer, starting this year, all the Kokiri would participate in the festival of pairs. All the Kokiri would go through the Lost Woods, to the Forest Temple, which, thanks to a certain Hylian boy, is not haunted anymore, and have a party of sorts. It's similar to a camping trip, only it's indoors. On this outing, the guys court the girls, and the successful ones pair up and are hopefully, somewhat monogamous, for at least a week. The Kokiri still no nothing of love. All they know is that people pair up and act certain ways toward the person they pair up with. That and what their natural instincts had led them to know. Link knew about love. Zelda and Malon taught him what they believed love was, much like a fairytale. He withheld this information from the Kokiri for certain reasons. One of them being that the Kokiri were already coming to terms with enough, including their own mortality. Let them have their fun. Though, not all the Kokiri participated in the pairings. Link didn't feel any certain affection towards any of the Kokiri. Not that he wasn't physically attracted to any of them. Most of the Kokiri girls were quite pretty. Link just didn't feel any connection with them. He wanted to pair himself up with a certain ocarina playing, Hylian princess or a particular red-haired, ranch girl. It wasn't just the outcast who neglected the festival, but also the girl who really didn't care about the whole affair, namely Saria. She thought the whole concept was ridiculous. She questioned the purpose of choosing a person to be around more, merely because they had been told that outsiders did it. Still, both Link and Saria would go along with everybody to the Forest Temple. Saria, knowing the way there the best, would lead everybody to the mansion Forest Temple. Link would go along with Saria, to keep her company, and to ward off the slobbering male Kokiri. Here, on the day that the festival of pairs would begin, is where we actually start the story…

It was the middle of the summer, and a young boy, about sixteen years old, was lounging up on the hill in front of the Kokiri training grounds. He wore a green, sleeveless tunic, with a belt, and he had white pants that went down his legs and into his near knee high boots. He wasn't quite as tall as the other Kokiri boys and had medium length, blonde hair and blue eyes. His nose was somewhat long and pointed, as were his ears. He wasn't scrawny, nor was he particularly buff. He had the build of a hero; after all, that's what he was. He had been the hero of time six years in the past and one year in the future. He was sixteen now, but, when he was ten, he was called upon to be the hero of time. Upon the request of a princess, he gathered the three Spiritual Stones, and used the princess's own ocarina to gain passageway to the Master Sword. When he took hold of the sword he was transported to the Chamber of Sages in the Sacred Realm and put into a deep sleep for seven years. He awoke on the seventh year to find that Ganondorf had gone into the Sacred Realm, which had been previously sealed by the presence of the Master Sword, and gained access to the wish-granting Triforce, using it to take over Hyrule. Rauru, the Sage of Light, gave Link instructions on defeating Ganondorf, and Link set out on his adventure. After defeating Ganondorf, and Ganondorf's maligned form, the monstrous Ganon, Link was sent back seven years, by the princess Zelda, so that he could live out his childhood. Now that Link is sixteen, he is almost as old as he was when defeating the evil sorcerer, Ganondorf; but, at the moment, Link was merely waiting on a hilltop for his best friend. Spotting her at the bottom of the hill, Link thought to himself. _Here comes Saria, no doubt with news of the festival. _

Saria wasn't sixteen. She was closer to fifty, though her body had only aged around sixteen years. Being a true Kokiri, Saria hadn't physically aged past ten, until the Great Deku Tree died. The Deku Tree was the secret of the Kokiris' immortality. The reason that all the Kokiri were to not go outside of the forest, was that the Deku Tree's magic didn't extend outside of it, and, as a result, the Kokiri that would wander away would lose their youthfulness. They would grow old and die, just like the rest of the races do. As you might imagine, the Kokiri were fairly upset at the prospect of dying one day. Mido had nearly convinced the others that Link was to blame, and that he should be banished from the forest, but Saria stepped in and told them all otherwise. The reason he wanted Link out of the forest was because he was jealous of Link's relationship with the emerald-haired girl. If he was responsible for booting Link out of the forest, he knew that Saria would never forgive him, and likely leave the forest after Link. Mido would have to incriminate Link somehow, if he were to get Saria to like him…

Saria was a pretty girl, with green hair and deep blue eyes. She wore a tunic, similar to Link's, though, much more feminine. Like Link's tunic, it was sleeveless, and had a belt around the waist. However, her tunic was slightly shorter. Normally, Saria wore a sleeveless shirt, with a turtleneck sweater beneath it. She would also wear shorts. The weather, unfortunately, was too hot out to dress that way. She wore green boots that went up right below her knees. She didn't dress immodestly; then again, her knowledge of modesty, as well as the other Kokiris', was taught to them by a tree, and a tree's extent of knowledge on the subject of modesty is not vast, to say the least. The Kokiri simply dressed for comfort. Saria had known Link all his life; meaning, she had known _Link_ since _Link_ was an infant.

Link had been waiting for Saria for a while, and they had agreed to meet up at the training grounds to talk about events happening in the forest. Saria bounded up the hill, her fairy, Farin, flying behind her. Once she had gotten herself up the hill, Link and Saria greeted each other nonchalantly.

"Are you coming to the festival, Link?"

"I dunno," Link shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "I was thinking that I would get out of the forest and visit the princess."

Saria knew who the princess was, and how much Link enjoyed spending time with her. She occasionally found herself jealous of this princess that was stealing away her best friend. "Please? You know what'll happen if you don't go." Saria pleaded with Link "You have to come. For me?"

"Well," said Link, thinking quickly. "You could come with me. Malon wanted to join too. We could all have a picnic together." Link's eyes brightened at the prospect of being with his three favorite girls in all of Hyrule.

"Link…" Saria didn't want to join Link in a picnic with those other girls. She wanted her friend to be with _her._ "You know I can't go with you. I have to lead the others to the Forest Temple. They don't know the way."

"That's too bad." Link sympathized. "They both were looking forward to meeting you. "

Saria looked at Link with the most pathetic expression she could muster, mouthing the word "please."

_I can't…resist…those big blue eyes._ "Al_right_, I'll go with you, but only because you need me to fend off the slobbering, Kokiri boys."

"Thank you thank you thank you. I can't stand them sometimes. Especially the ones that don't look me in the _eyes_."

"Why wouldn't they look you in the eyes?" Link can be compared rather accurately to a candied deku seed. He's very sweet, but his head can be incredibly thick and tough to stuff new concepts into.

"They look somewhat lower, if you know what I mean." Saria looked down at the subject of discussion to make it clearer.

"Oh." _Duh,_ _how could I **not** know what she means? Even **I** sometimes find myself accidentally looking at them. She caught me doing it once and I got so embarrassed and couldn't stop apologizing. The thing is that I don't think that she was upset with me. She seemed more flattered. That blush, the smile. I still don't get why she didn't yell at me or something. I don't think that she really minds the occasional glance, so long as you aren't just ogling at her. _ "Yeah, I know what you mean; but, in their defense, the Deku tree has never died before, leaving the Kokiri to age, so all this physical change is new to them. I mean, some of them are even fifty-something, and now they're maturing physically. Of course they're going to turn into slobbering dogs around girls, that's what teenage guys do. I was one once before, you know. And, further in their defense, _they_ are incredibly hard to resist looking at."

"Link..." Saria blushed furiously and smiled at Link.

"What? They are. I do understand that they shouldn't stare at, though. It's rude."

"I didn't expect you to say something like that."

"I felt it needed to be said _sometime_." Link grinned and scratched his head.

"Oh did you now? You make it seem like you've been dwelling on the subject for quite a while." Saria raised an eyebrow at Link.

_Good job Link. She's gonna think you're a pervert._ "Iiiii'd better get ready for the festival, since I'm accompanying you and all."

"I'm already packed, so I'll come with you." Saria said, going along with Link's excuse, surprising and confusing Link to no end.

"Umm, alright." Sighing heavily out of relief, Link decided that he'd have to choose his words more carefully from now on. "Oh, before I forget, I'll need to let the princess and Malon know I won't be able to visit them."

"Well, I guess I could send Farin, to give them the message." Saria offered, although, inwardly, she was disappointed that Link was still thinking about those girls.

"That would be great," Link hugged Saria. "I really appreciate it."

Saria sighed. "Yes, I know."

Link informed Farin the way to get to the castle and Malon's ranch and gave instructions on what to tell the two girls. Farin rushed off to go deliver the important message, a mischievous glint in her eye…


	2. Link's Pad and the Training Grounds

The walk from the training grounds to Link's tree was rather uneventful. Just the way they both liked it. Link had seen enough adventure in his life, and Saria had lived in the forest with loud Kokiri boys long enough to appreciate some peace and quiet. The reason for this unusual silence was that all the Kokiri were meeting at the foot of the large pillar sticking out of the ground. The pillar connected to the top of Saria's house by a long, rope bridge. The house had a spiral walkway carved into, permitting access to the bridge. This was the only way to get onto the pillar, seeing as how it was too large in diameter to climb easily. Atop the pillar was a Kokiri named Irak. He was darkly tanned and was of average height. His nose looked as if it had been broken several times, and from the amount of fighting he did with the other Kokiri boys, it wasn't doubtful that he _had_ broken his nose several time. His hair was short and black and curled at the tips. He wore a very severe look on his face as he addressed the majority of the Kokiri with the many rules concerning the festival.

"First off," Irak started, raising his voice to quiet down the restless teenagers, "boys, you carry your own luggage. So, only pack what you can carry. Girls, you may pack what you feel the boys can carry. They will likely end up carrying it for you anyways. So, we might as well make it official."

A red-haired, Kokiri boy interrupted. "That takes all the chivalry out of it! If you make it a rule, then the girls won't be as impressed with our offers to carry their luggage!"

Irak located the source of the interruption. It was Magrin, a very bothersome boy, who the girls wouldn't even allow to carry their luggage anyways. "Magrin! Do not _question _my authority. Besides, you won't have to carry any luggage but your own. I guarantee it." Irak smirked while Magrin fumed with anger. He turned his back to Magrin for a dramatic effect.

"What are you going to do about it if I _do_ question your authority!?" Magrin picked up a deku seed and hurled it at Irak.

Hearing the whistle of the deku seed speeding through the air, Irak shouted "This!" and turned around. Faster than an angry Cucoo, Irak aimed and shot a deku seed in response to Magrin's. Irak's seed hit Magrin's, splitting it in two, and kept going, hitting Magrin square in the forehead.

Link, overhearing the racket, stopped to look back at the crowd. "Saria, did you hear that?"

"What was it?" Saria looked back, along side of Link, trying to get a better view.

"I'm not sure, but by the way things sound, it's almost as if someone actually got what they deserved, for once."

"Look at the top of the pillar," Saria said, pointing. "Irak must've been passing out his 'swift judgment' again."

"We'd better hurry to my tree if we're even gonna make it to the temple with the rest of the group."  
"Well, I'm the only guide there. They won't leave without me; and if they somehow managed it, it's not like we wouldn't be able to get there later." Saria pointed out, smartly.

"Good point." Link said, sending a wink of approval at Saria.

When they reached Link's tree, Link promptly offered that Saria go up the ladder first. Being a gentleman, he had always offered that she go up the ladder first. At this time, he had just remembered that she was wearing a skirt, but It was too late. By the time Link had come to this conclusion, she was already climbing up the ladder. Quickly, Link stared at the ground, concentrating very hard on a small patch of grass, noting that would could probably use a trim, as would the rest of his unruly yard.

"Umm, Saria, are you up the ladder yet?" He asked, still staring at the patch of grass.

"No Link," Saria said, wondering what the problem was. "I've hardly started up the ladder."

Link waited for a minute. He heard a tapping coming from the deck of his house. Saria must have made it up the ladder and started tapping her foot. He wasn't positive. He couldn't risk looking up without making sure. "You're up the ladder, right Saria?"

"Yes, Link, I'm up the ladder." Saria continued tapping her foot in annoyance.

Link looked up at her. She was up the ladder, and all the things he wasn't supposed to see, he wasn't seeing. "Good. I'm coming up now."

Saria was puzzled. She didn't know what had gotten into Link. He used to go up the ladder right after her. _What an odd boy_, she thought to herself. "You'd better get up here, and fast." Saria lectured Link. "We need to hurry so that the others won't be angry with us for delaying their trip."

Upon entering his tree, Link said the corniest line in his life. "Ah, here we are, my bachelor pad."

"Yes, very nice, I've seen it before." Saria smirked at Link.

"Yes you have, and yet, it's still my bachelor pad." Said Link, smiling a very broad smile.

"Let's just get your stuff and get outta here. This house is too confined." Saria's breathing had become more rapid since entering the house.

"Yeah, I know, your claustrophobia. Just, uh, go sit down on my bed and catch your breath." Link felt worried about Saria. He knew she was a tough girl, but he didn't like to see his friend in distress. Link dove into his closet, searching for his backpack, and some spare clothes. Upon finding his leather gauntlets, he quickly put them on. The only reason he'd need these is if he was going to use a sword or a bow, and he didn't have either with him. Regardless, he kept them on his arms; they did look rather spiffy.

"Link, you should really clean this place up." Saria remarked, looking around the place, and noticing that it had become very messy over the years.

"I...", Link tried to find the right words, pushing the real reason for the disarray of his room out of his mind, "I just haven't felt like cleaning in a while."

The pause in Link's speech tipped Saria off that something was wrong. "You're still upset about Navi aren't you?" Saria laid back on Link's bed, trying to think of less confined spaces, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths to help her calm down.

Link continued putting clothes into his pack. "Navi was important to me. She was my only company for most of my journey, six years ago. You've had your fairy all your life. I finally had a fairy of my own, and now she's gone." Link got up and turned around to check and see if Saria was alright. She looked absolutely beautiful to him right then. He had always known her as his friend. Now that they were both growing older, things seemed to have changed for him.

Saria opened her eyes and rolled onto her side to look at Link, only to find he was already looking at her. Her heart began to beat faster. "Link..." Their eyes met, and Saria's breathing became deep, quickly turning into gasps.

"Saria," Link ran over to his bed. "Are you alright?"

Saria kept gasping, as if she wasn't getting enough air. _She must be having a panic attack, _Link concluded. He picked Saria up and carried her out to the deck in front of his house. He set her down, and she sat up, doubled over, coughing. He sat down beside her and put his arm around her.

"It's alright, Saria. We're outside, and there's plenty of room to breathe." Link looked at his green-haired friend, more afraid than he could ever remember being. Not that he was in any position to be thinking through the most frightening moments of his life. Saria gradually stopped coughing, sat up, and put her head on Link's shoulder, still breathing heavily.

"Thank you." Saria managed to say, her breathes starting to become regular again.

He smiled and hugged her. "That's what I'm here for." Remembering his luggage, Link got up. "Hold tight for a sec'. I'll be right out with my stuff."

"Alright." Saria sat back, leaning against the railing on the deck. She watched Link disappear into his home. Waiting, she wondered what had just happened. _I don't understand_, she thought to herself. _I was doing fine...until Link and I looked at each other like that. I've never felt like that before. I'd felt more nervous right then, than I'd ever felt around him. I'd **never** felt nervous around Link. I've known him since he was a baby…only he's not a baby anymore, and I'm not a child anymore. We're both aging…That must have something to do with it. I'll have to ask Link more about these feelings._ Link emerged a minute later, with his pack on his back and a strange looking rock in his hand.

Looking at the strange rock, all questions of feelings seemed to fly out of Saria's head. "Do you really need to bring that?"

"No, but you never know what I could use it for."

"It's a rock." She stared at him placidly.

"Yeah, and it's a fine specimen of rock. I haven't been able to break it."

"Maybe you just need to cut back on the candied Deku seeds." She smiled at Link mischievously.

"We both know that _you_ were the one who ate the whole box of them that time at that play." Link said, returning the smile.

"Oh really, which play was it?"

"It was the one where 'Mido the Valiant and ever Vigilant' had supposedly killed Queen Gohma."

"Ah, that one. It was a terrible play." Saria said, making a face like she had eaten something disagreeable.

"Oh like you paid any attention to it anyways. You were so full of sugar, you fell asleep, which, by the way, I don't understand at all."

"There are a lot of things you don't understand." Saria stuck her tongue out at Link.

"I remember that night." Link said. "It was about two years ago. Mido had made a play, of him attempting to save the Deku tree and kill Queen Gohma. Everybody went; of course _I_ went, just to see him make a fool of himself. Mido never was a good actor. He still isn't. You had come with me and purchased a box of candied Deku seeds. I wasn't really in the mood for sweets, so you ended up eating the entire box of candy yourself. You became incredibly hyper and started looking around, your eyes darting from place to place, tapping your foot like jackhammer. After a couple minutes of this, you just looked at me, all tired eyed, laid your head on my shoulder and fell asleep. After the play was over I picked you up and went over to your house to tuck you into bed. When I got over there and laid you on your bed, you awoke and looked up at me with a smile that gradually turned into a frown. Apparently, having that much candy didn't agree with you. Luckily for me, you ran outside before anything could escape your mouth. After a minute, I went outside to make sure that you were okay. You were fine; nausea subsided, just a little embarrassed. Strange thing was that the vomit wasn't the most memorable part; it was the smile you gave me when you woke up." Link looked at Saria thoughtfully, remembering that night.

Saria blushed and looked down at the ground. _There I go again. I don't know what to do about these strange feelings. I have to ask Link what this means. _

"That night was actually kinda fun, vomit and drool withstanding." Link said, interrupting Saria's thoughts.

"Drool?" Saria asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, just a little bit on my shoulder from when you fell asleep during the play."

"And to think that all the guys in this forest like me." Saria frowned slightly.

"Let's not forget the whole 'breast' thing." Link said, winking at Saria.

"Ah yes, that." Saria sighed, looking back up she asked Link: "What were we talking about again?"

"Umm, oh yeah, the rock. I think it may be a special rock. Do you see the inscriptions on it?"

"Oh, would you look at that, inscriptions. See, if I'd have known that, I wouldn't have made fun of you _nearly _as much." Saria said sarcastically.

The rock was...well, rock shaped, with inscriptions on it. Link didn't know how someone could get inscriptions on this rock. He tried everything to break it, or at least leave a mark on it. He had come to the conclusion that it is some sort of special rock. "I wonder if it might be a key or something."

"A key? To what?"

"I don't know, something cool."

"Well that narrows it down. You still think bugs are cool."

"Only some of them." Link grinned.

Looking over towards the pillar, Saria remembered that they were already late. "I think we've been in here long enough. Let's go before they get unruly."

"Right."

Saria and Link hurried down the ladder.

"So milady, where to?"

Saria threw a playful grin towards Link and curtsied. She looked down at the ground for a minute and looked up at him again. "I think we need to go get the Kokiri sword." She said, matter-of-factly.

"What? That thing hasn't been used in... six years. Why?"

"You never know. We _are_ going into the Lost Woods, so we should go prepared." Saria shrugged.

"Alright, go over to the pillar and stall the group for me."

"Hurry please, Mido's already headed our direction. I'll explain the situation, but he won't like it."

"I'll go as fast as I can." _Of course Mido won't like it. _Link thought to himself as he rushed towards the training grounds. _Mido's the one who put the sword back into the training grounds, hoping no one would go and look for it. He took my shield too, that jerk._

It didn't take Link long to get to the training grounds. It was near his tree, and he had run rather quickly. _Here we go, the Kokiri training grounds, hopefully I won't run into that boulder._

The boulder came around the corner, just as he had hoped that it wouldn't do. One may wonder what it is that makes that boulder roll. Link, for one, had no clue. It's remained a mystery to this very day.  
Link continued his frantic run, towards the hiding spot of the Kokiri Sword

_Now if I remember right, the Kokiri sword should be right... there! _

The boulder, seeming as if it knew what Link was thinking, changed directions and headed straight towards Link, from the opposite end of the path. He had to beat it, or else he'd be crushed. He could've just hid in another path, wait for it to go by and take a path that the boulder _wasn't_ going down, but he was too stubborn for that; besides, Saria asked him to be quick about this. The path he was going down, just happened to be the quickest way to the sword. He ran down that corridor as fast as his legs would take him.

_Must keep running._

Closer and closer he drew towards victory and closer to the object of his defeat. When he came to be only a few feet away, he knew he would make it, and then he tripped.

_Oh no._

In mid fall, he began rolling in the direction of the sword. Hitting the ground, Link barely rolled into the path that lead directly to the sword and away from large, dangerous rocks. He opened the chest and reached inside to pull out the Kokiri sword and the Deku shield he had made one summer.

_Oh what a glorious summer it was. Wait, it's no time to get nostalgic I need to get back to Saria._

Mido had hid the sword there, fearing that if Link kept the sword, he would try to take Mido's place as the big cheese of the Kokiri. Link didn't want to be the boss of the Kokiri. Most of the time, he wanted to be left alone by all of them, save for Saria.

Now that Link and everyone else had grown, the sword wasn't as big or magnificent as he had remembered it. It was a large dagger, still useful. _Maybe I could sneak out sometime and find a weapon smith to make this sword more sword-like and less dagger-like. _But for now, that would have to do. _Now to face that boulder again._

_I wonder what's taking Link so long to get back._ Saria was back at the pillar, trying to stall everyone else. Now that she, the guide to the temple, was there, they shouldn't have to wait any longer.

"Saria! I got it." Link was breathing heavily from all the running he had done, trying to avoid the boulder the second time around.

"Link, you're covered in dirt." Saria frowned at him.

Link sat down for a moment, attempting to regain his breath. "You remember that boulder in there?"

"Yeah."

"It's still there."

"No wonder you're such a mess." She smirked playfully at Link as he got back up, readying himself for the hike down to the Forest Temple.

"Yeah, let's get out of here. Where did Mido go off to?"

"Oh, he was trying to impress me by trying to pick up that rock over there. He didn't get it up very far before dropping it on his foot." Saria cringed, thinking of how much pain Mido might have gone through, having his foot crushed.

"I wish I could have seen it." Said Link, relishing the thought of Mido's foot, and pride, being smashed by a rock. "We should probably lead the group to the temple now, right?"

Saria's mood lightened considerably. _Now that we'll be heading to the temple. I'll have plenty of time to talk to Link about these new feelings I've been having._ "Yeah," She said. "Let's go tell Irak we're here."

Just then, a booming voice came from the tall pillar in the middle of the village. While keeping an eye on the waiting, and slightly agitated, Kokiri, Irak spotted Saria talking to Link, heading towards the pillar.

"Here we are!" Irak bellowed, "and there" he pointed towards where the Forest Temple was, "is where we shall be going...and now is the time we shall go. So let us go there... now, preferably."


	3. Into the Woods: Enter Woodstalker

And go they did. Luggage in hand, sword and shield on back, and Link suddenly wishing Saria's hand was in his.

_Huh? What is this? Feelings for her? _Link wondered.

_Well I don't see why not. You're **both** teenagers now. _He responded to himself.

_What about Zelda? _He asked…himself.

_She's a princess, she's supposed to marry a prince or something. _Link thought, making a good point.

_Well, what about Malon? She's a nice girl too._

_There's still a matter of the commute. It isn't a short hike up to Malon's ranch you know. _At this point Link recognized that he was just playing Devil's Advocate with himself.

_But Saria's your friend. _

_Yeah, we know each other well, shouldn't that help? _

_I don't know. _

_Stop arguing with yourself._

"Aaaaah!" a sudden scream from a frightened Kokiri... boy. How disappointing.

"What is it?" Link asked, getting slightly annoyed at the thought of having to rescue a Kokiri _boy_. _If I don't even get to rescue Zelda or Malon, I should at least get to rescue a Kokiri **girl**. At least then I'd feel happier about doing it. Now, it's just a chore_. _Oh well, helping people is helping people, and helping people seems to be my job…or destiny…or something._

"Magrin's getting himself acquainted with a Skullkid." A dark haired, Kokiri _girl_ snickered.

"Excellent." Link thought aloud. "Maybe I might get to talk to one of these Skullkids finally, last time I saw one, it ran away and shot needles at me."

Link rushed past the group of Kokiri, telling them to stop and take a break. Upon meeting refusal, and getting "explained" to him that they'd only been walking for five minutes, Link "explained" to the person(s) of refusal by showing them his "authority". After "dealing" with the person(s) of refusal he put away the sword, whipped out an ocarina and hoped that Magrin's squealing hadn't disgusted the Skullkid into sauntering off into the woods. He had pulled out an ocarina, so that he could play a song for the Skullkid. Once, during his time as a hero, Link had a jam session with some Skullkids. Maybe it would work again. From what Saria told him, the Skullkids are a noble sort of people. Some of them were even warriors, agile and sneaky ones at that. He'd seen a Skullkid before, several times, but only fleeting glances as one of them would bound off into the shadows. The Skullkids, as told by the great Deku tree, before his death, are born from the bark of trees.

Rounding the corner, Link found himself gaping at a strange scene. The Skullkid was challenging Magrin to a duel. The creature looked just like the Deku tree described them, wearing mostly red, yellow gloves made from what seemed to be cornhusks, and shorts made from the same material as the gloves. The Skullkid was thin, appearing to be made of wood. Its eyes were bright yellow, and its face was hidden by a hood. This particular one seemed to have a weapon other than its flute. It was obviously a warrior.

"Hey!" Link said, deciding to throw away the ocarina method and head straight to intimidation. "Leave him alone!"

"Do not interfere with matters that do not concern you." The Skullkid's voice was raspy and had an unnamable, woody quality. It seemed full of anger and annoyance at Link's interjection of his quarrel with Magrin.

"I will interfere with any matters that concern the harming of my friends!" Link shouted, pulling out the Kokiri sword from its sheath.

"Ah, a warrior." The Skullkid retracted its sword's point from Magrin's throat and sheathed it.

"Yes, a hero even." Link warned the Skullkid, raising his sword and getting into a fighting stance.

"I have a quarrel with this fellow." Said the unnamed Skullkid, pointing at Magrin with his sheathed sword.

"What is your quarrel?"

"This young man had stolen an item of mine several weeks ago. I have only recently tracked him down."

"Magrin. What's the item he's talking about?"

"Well Link, geeze. It's just a rock. I lost it. But this lunatic won't believe me!" Magrin whined pathetically.

"Magrin! Quit cowering! Do you have any idea where it is?"

"No, I lost it about a week ago."

_Whoa, head rush. _

Link had just remembered something very important.

The sheer experience of deja vu at that scale would have floored a lesser person.

_The inscriptions on the rock must be the script of the Skullkids. _"What is your name, sir?" Link asked the Skullkid.

"My name, in your tongue of course, is Woodstalker. He added a slight flick of the wrist and a bowing movement to add flair to it.

"Well Mr. Woodstalker, I think I have what you're looking for." Link offered, still holding his battle stance.

"The stone?"

Woodstalker's eyes, or whatever it is underneath that hood he was wearing, widened, their yellow, glowing quality brightened and changed to a deep, blood red.

"Yes, that is, if this is the right stone." Link pulled the stone out from his pocket and showed it to Woodstalker.

Woodstalker's eyes shone even brighter and yet still deep red.

"Sadly I cannot simply have it handed back to me. This young man had stolen this from me. The ways of my people would have me challenge this youngster for the rights to my possession."

"Alright then." Link whipped the rock at Woodstalker, who caught it instinctively, only to discover the stone wrenched from his grip a moment later by non-other than Link. "Now I've stolen it from you. Fight me for it."

"Ah, it is not that simple." Woodstalker exclaimed. "I didn't own it, for I did not win it back in the first place…"

"Which means I technically didn't steal it from you." Link finished. "Hmm, what if you just fight me for it instead?" Link asked, exasperated. "Since I am the one who holds the stone anyways."

"Alright," Woodstalker said, surprising Link deeply. "I accept your challenge. Prepare for a battle that will..."

"Let's skip the cheesy battle lines" Link interrupted. "and get down to business."

"If you insist, hero." Woodstalker unsheathed his weapon, a broad sword, and a magnificent one at that. The sword's tip could touch the ground, and the handle would be directly below shoulder level with Woodstalker, who was only slightly shorter than Link was. The sword's hand guard was rounded on the side that met with the blade and flat on the side which met with the handle. It had a symbol engraved on the hand guard which resembled the head of a Skullkid, wearing a hood. The handle was wrapped in leather and was long enough to be held with two hands, which was good, because it seemed like one would need to use both hands to hold it. The blade was wider than a sword's blade would normally be, thus, earning it the title of a "broad" sword. The entirety of the sword looked weather worn, and well used. The blade was scratched in several areas, and severely chipped in a couple other regions. Despite the chips, the sword was still extremely sharp; In fact, the chips and scratches probably served to help catch and tear the flesh of opponents.

"Hyaaa!" Link yelled, foolishly running toward Woodstalker. Of course, Woodstalker was prepared for a full on, brutish assault. Emphasis on the "ass" in assault, which is what Link was about to make himself in the process of this foolish attack. You would think that after defeating Ganondorf and his even scarier self, Ganon, or as Link liked to refer to him as...Ganny, that he'd have learned to fight properly. Obviously not. What Link got, rushing recklessly and fecklessly was a sound smack to the back of his head with the flat of Woodstalker's broad sword.

_Time to up the stakes a bit_. "Hey woody," Link called. "You don't mind if I call you woody right?" The look on Woodstalker's face would have frozen a White Wolfos. "I guess you would mind. So anyways Woody, let's up the stakes a little bit. If you win, you get my weapon and your rock. And you could guess what I get if I win." Not taking any chances with being shafted by a technicality, Link decided to mention what exactly he would get if he won the duel. "I get the rock, and your sword."

"Agreed."

_Holy Deku scrub feces, he actually accepted? I guess he sees the sword thing as strictly a trophy._

As you can imagine, Link really wanted to win this battle, seeing as how the prize was pretty neat. He decided to take a smarter approach then before. A far away approach. Lucky him he had his slingshot with him, and a pocketful of Deku seeds. As fast as he could manage, Link threw the Kokiri sword into the ground in front of Woodstalker, and tossed his shield on the ground in front of himself. Taking several steps backwards, Link slowly removed the slingshot from his belt and loaded it.

"So it is a duel of aim then?" Woodstalker asked rhetorically.

"I don't see why not." Link quipped.

Quick as a flash, Woodstalker pulled out his flute and shot a spray of needles at Link. A stroke of luck hit Link, as he slipped on the leafy ground and fell under the needles. He leapt back up to his feet and shot a Deku seed at his foe. Woodstalker, of course, blocked it with his sword. Taking several more steps back and watching carefully that Woodstalker hadn't moved too far from where he had been, Link dashed forward and pounced, with his feet landing onto the Deku shield. Zooming towards Woodstalker, Link shot more seeds at his enemy, using the slingshot.

_Just enough to distract from my sword._

Having no more needles to shoot at Link, Woodstalker prepared to strike a blow to with his sword. Too bad he didn't see what was about to happen coming. Link grabbed the Kokiri sword from the ground in front of Woodstalker and thrust upward, hitting Woodstalker squarely in the chin with the pommel of the Kokiri sword, knocking him onto his back. Link towered over Woodstalker, and of course, being a good guy and all, offered his hand to "Woody" to help him up. Surprisingly, Woodstalker accepted Link's friendly gesture.

"Good fight, hero," Woodstalker complimented Link, as he was being helped up. "and as promised, I will give my sword to you, I will no longer be needing the sheath for it either. It was good of you to stand up for your friend. Even if he is a treasure stealing scoundrel." Woodstalker scowled at Magrin, who nearly fainted.

"It really was a good fight…Woody." Link said, winking at Woodstalker. "I hope we meet again in the near future, under more friendly circumstances of course. Don't worry about your sword, I will take good care of it for you. I'll take care of the rock for you too."

Woodstalker seemed infinitely disappointed at losing the rock. He didn't seem nearly as attached to his sword as he was this strange stone. He handed Link the sword and it's sheath. Link was surprised at the light weight of the sword. He could easily use it with one hand, leaving the other free to use his shield.

"There are things about that stone that you should know hero." Woodstalker said quietly, leaning closer towards Link. "That stone is a key. It activates a machine, capable of devastating destruction." Woodstalker's voice lowered even more. "Unbeknownst to you Kokiri, us warriors of the woods have seen a powerful evil. A wizard has shown himself in these woods. A wizard attempting to revive the golems. He is building for himself an army."

Link knew what a golem was. The Deku Tree had told him all about those machines of war.

Golems are essentially robots made from natural components, and powered by magic. There have been stone and wood golems, as well as, sand golems and water golems. Most golems are relatively easy to make, and thus, easy to destroy. The more powerful golems take more time and effort to assemble.

Long ago, there was a war, fought with golems. The races, Goron, Zora, and Hylian, were at odds with each other. Each wanted to rule the other. The Skullkids, Kokiri, and Deku scrubs still lived peacefully. That is, until the golem war spread to the forest. The three warring races had become greedy and wanted to rule each other, as well as the forest people. The patrons of the woods fled to the Forest Temple. The only way to stop the golem wars would be to deactivate all of the golems. That was the secret of the Forest Temple. Inside of the abandoned mansion, a machine was constructed that would take control of the golems, and deactivate them all.

"Have you heard of the Master Golem, young warrior?" Woodstalker asked Link.

"Yes." Link replied "It was used to destroy the other golems and end the war wasn't it?"

"You are correct, hero." Woodstalker commended Link. "It was the most powerful of golems." He continued. "That stone you are carrying, is the key to it. If the wizard gets a hold of that key, all the golems will be reawaken, and a new war will erupt."

Link could hardly believe that such a small rock could be the key to such a powerful machine.

"As one warrior to another," Woodstalker started. "I ask that you keep that stone out of the hands of the wizard. You must activate the Master Golem and have it destroy itself."

"Where is the Master Golem?" Link asked, perplexed.

"It is hidden in the highest place in the Forest Temple." Woodstalker instructed. "Till next time, hero."

And with those words Woodstalker…well, stalked, into the woods, much like his name...Woodstalker.

"Link! Are you alright?" Saria had just reached the area where Link and "Woody" had been fighting. "I just heard what was going on." She seemed to be just a _little_ worried.

"Yeah, a few scratches and bruises. That's all"

"What was that all about?" Saria said, looking Link over for any injuries.

"The rock."

Saria had been crouching down and inspecting one of Link's knees for injury. She sprung up and said: "What? Are you joking?"

"I'm not joking." Link reassured Saria. "He wanted the rock."

"What did he want it for?"

Link looked at Saria and wondered if he wanted to tell her. He didn't want his friend to worry, especially because of the surprise that would be waiting for her at the Forest Temple. He wanted Saria to have a fun time. So he decided not to tell her.

"…I don't know what he wants it for. I didn't ask."

"Well why not?" Saria asked, looking at Link as if he should know better.

"Between saving Magrin and fighting that Skullkid, the questions just slipped my mind." Link lied.

"That's too bad. You might never know what it does now. It must be something important for that Skullkid to attack Magrin for it. They aren't a violent race, you know."

"There's no time for 'what if's' here. We have a forest temple to get to and teenage hormones to rage." Link reminded Saria.

"Right." Saria said, looking much more chipper than before. "Everyone! Keep walking. We need to reach the temple before nightfall."

…

No one was listening.

"Hey!" Link whooped. "If you guys... and girls, don't start moving, we won't reach the temple before the monsters come out! There's only two swords here, and that just isn't going to cut it!" Link paused for a second. "No pun intended!" He finished.

Everyone started moving and casted worried looks at Link, as if he was about to kill them all.

"You aren't about to kill us all are you?" The dark haired Kokiri girl, named Tik, asked.

"No. I wouldn't kill _you_." Link reassured her. "Mido on the other hand..."

"How about we just keep walking for now?" Saria suggested, hooking arms with Link. "I'm still leading the group and I need some company."


	4. Twin's Folly

Tik watched Saria haul Link off to the front of the group. Her twin sister, Tak, had just run up to her. Noticing the look on her sister's face, and the couple she was looking at, Tak huffed. It was a very particular kind of huff. The kind that a girl huffs in half annoyance and half pity at her twin sister, who is watching the guy she pines after being led away by another girl.

"We aren't supposed to pair up till after getting to the forest temple." Tak practically spat.

Tik sighed. "I know."

Tik and Tak were identical, twin sisters. They both had dark, reddish hair, and they were both quite short. They had dark green eyes, small noses, and wore dark red coloring on their lips.

Link hadn't just _told _the Kokiri about the outside world, he brought some of it with him. One of the things he brought back with him was makeup for the girls. He saw other girls wear it, so he thought to Kokiri gals might want to try.

Other than their general appearances, Tik and Tak were completely different. Tik was shy and withdrawn. She was especially timid when it came to boys. In fact, Tik was the most likely of the Kokiri girls to be fond of a boy and just watch him be taken by some other girl rather than do anything about it. She had nothing to be shy about. She was quite attractive. Her and her sister were what some people would call "darkly cute". Despite being "well off" with looks, Tik was still very timid. Tak, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. She was loud, outgoing, and had more boys after her than many of the other Kokiri girls. One factor of this was the way that Tak dressed. Unlike other Kokiri, who merely dressed for comfort, Tak dressed in a manner that would attract attention from the boys. After very little observation, Tak found that clothing that showed more skin attracted more boys. You must understand, the Kokiri didn't understand love. What they understood is attraction. The majority of them didn't have any objection to being sought after for their body. The concept of being liked for their minds was a lost effort for many of the Kokiri. Though Tak was the complete opposite of Tik, she still cared for her sister, dearly. She wanted the best for her twin sister, and right now, the best thing seemed to be Link. Tak knew just the person to go to for help.

Night was falling, and the group of Kokiri had been walking for several hours. The Lost Woods was easy to navigate, if you know where to turn, but it is still a long walk. Saria, trying to keep up a conversation with Link, brought up an issue that had been discussed thoroughly by the other Kokiri.

"You know what I just thought about?" Asked Saria.

"Maaaaybe." Link said slyly. "No, wait, no. I don't think so. I can't read minds."

"Well, a tree takes a really long time to grow to its adult stage. I don't think that the Deku tree will prevent us Kokiri from growing until it's fully matured. That will take longer than any of the Kokiri will live. The Kokiri are going to die out. That is, until the Deku tree grows more of us."

"Yeah, you guys, and girls, your lives have been cut short, but you also get to grow up, and not be children any longer. None of the other Kokiri before you guys have gotten to experience that. It's a glass half-full or half-empty thing. It depends on how you look at it."

"What's the glass half full of?" Saria asked, not quite getting the symbolism.

"Lon Lon milk." Link explained

"Huh?"

"I'll bring some for you sometime." He promised.

"It sounds delightful." Saria, still hooked onto Link's arm, rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. She pondered something for a while. Something had been nagging at the back of her mind for a while. Suddenly it hit her. She hadn't asked Link some very important questions yet.

Saria had a knack for bad timing. The first time she mentally declared that she would ask Link these very important questions, they had ended up talking about a rock. The second time, they were interrupted by Irak's declaration of the Kokiri finally departing for the Forest Temple. Sadly, the third time that Saria resolved to ask Link the very important questions, he was out of sight.

While Saria had been in deep thought, Tak had skillfully removed Link from Saria's grasp, inserting Mido in Link's place. She had covered Link's mouth to prevent him from making too much noise and escorted him rather forcefully to the back of the "caravan of Kokiri."

Taking notice of her new companion, Saria smiled weakly, not wanting to hurt Mido's feelings.

Mido, on the other hand, was positively beaming with pleasure. He had the prettiest Kokiri on his arm, and Link was being taken care of. How could things get any better?

Mido was of an average height, only looking short because of the way he had his knees bent nearly all the time. He walked like he had been riding a horse for much too long. Underneath his green, Kokiri cap he had red hair. His visage, you could say, was that of a fish, with a large gaping maw, and beady eyes. His personality is rather shallow. He is loud, obnoxious, likes to boss people around, and wants more than anything for Saria to be around him rather than Link.

Saria most definitely did not want Mido to be attached to her. She needed to talk to Link. Link, unfortunately, was tied up at the moment.

Tak had tied a rope around Link, from his waist to his shoulders. He needed to be able to walk; There was still a several hours walk to the Forest Temple, but Tak didn't want Link forcing his way back to the front of the group.

Tak had gotten Tik into some of her more provocative clothing. Tik, being rather shy, almost refused. After being convinced that Link wouldn't be able to refuse her if she wore Tak's clothing, she found a large tree to change behind so that none of the boys would see.

Tik walked up to Link in as seductive a manner as she could produce. Not having a whole lot of practice, the walk looked a little more ridiculous than seductive. Tik was wearing a short skirt, with, of all things, a tube-top.

Link worked hard to suppress a laugh. Tik looked like some of the women he had seen near Hyrule castle that offered certain services for large amounts of rupees. He felt kind of bad for Tik. She obviously wasn't comfortable wearing what she was.

Tak watched as her twin sister strutted towards Link. She had never been more proud. Tak was so excited to see Tik get what she wanted, for once. Tik had always been quiet and withdrawn; overlooked. Tak wanted to see her sister happy, and Link would make her happy. Tak beamed quietly at the genius of her plan, breaking from her musings to check and make sure Tik had a good grip on the rope binding Link. Satisfied that Link was tied up securely, and confident he wouldn't get away without a fight, Tak turned her back to Link, and went ahead with the rest of the Kokiri, to give her sister some privacy, and got back to pondering the vastness of her clever mind.

_Link is being exposed to Tik's feminine wiles, and Saria is out of the way for now. By the time Saria gets rid of that delightfully and oh so usefully pesky and persistent Mido, it will be too late. Link will be wrapped around Tik's finger!_

Tak was brought out of her musings by a loud noise. It was coming from behind her, where Link and Tik were.

_This is it! _Tak thought to herself. _Tik laid it on thick, just like I told her to, and now Link is howling like a Wolfos! _

She took another brief moment to congratulate herself on her amazingness, before turning around to check on things more closely... only, something wasn't right. There was something wrong with the noise coming from Link. Something a person of lesser intellect than Tak would have taken much longer to notice.

_That isn't howling, That's laughter!_

Link couldn't contain his laughter anymore. After Tik had wobbled her way to Link, she batted her big fake eyelashes at him and winked, giving a painfully embarassing attempt at a "come hither" look. The sheer absurdity of the situation was just too much. Link could believe he was tied up. Afterall, the Kokiri are rather mischevious in nature. He could believe he was tied up by Tak, because she is possesive goes to great lengths to get what she wants, but he couldn't come to terms with Tik acting so ridiculously. He'd always known her to be a pretty shy girl, but she was nice that way. She always put other's before herself and was usually the first person any of the Kokiri would go to if they needed someone who would just listen to their problems without judging them or saying "I told you so." She was compassionate and friendly in her own shy way. The Tik in front of Link was not who she really was, and the show she had just put on was too much for Link to keep his composure. His resolve broke, and laughter echoed off every tree in the Lost Woods.

Tik didn't know what to do. She'd followed Tak's instructions to the letter. Link was supposed to be entranced by these mannerisms. Tik had seen her sister ensnare several Kokiri boys. But something was different for her. Tik didn't really want Link the way Tak had meant her to. She liked how Link was with Saria. He was funny and gentle, and protective, and... she could tell, Saria really enjoyed being around Link. Those two had been friends for as long as Link had been with the Kokiri, and Link obviously liked being Saria's friend. They would always go off into the Lost Woods and play. Saria taught Link to play the ocarina, too. Tik sometimes heard the two of them playing their ocarinas inside of the Lost Woods.

_Why couldn't Link like me that way? _Tik thought. _Don't I deserve to have someone care about me the way Link and Saria care for eachother?_

In between guffaws, Link noticed the pained and introspective expression on Tik's face. This quickly killed his hysterical laughter. He searched for the words to explain why he had been laughing so hard.

"Tik, I'm sorry. It's just that you, you're... that this isn't you. You're a sweet girl, and dressing up like your sister, to attract guys, won't make you happy. That isn't who you are, and... I think you already know that."

Tik looked up at Link, feeling a new measure of respect for him, despite the ruckus he'd made about how she was dressed. She felt more confident about herself, having been reaffirmed by Link, and felt she could tell him how she knew she felt now.

"Link, I... I know . I was just thinking, and I don't think it was really you that I wanted. I think what I want is-"

Before Tik could finish telling Link that what she _really_ wanted was a relationship similar to the one Link and Saria shared - and knowing this might have clued Link in on how _he _really felt - Tak came stomping, not bothering to assess the situation, just going on what she assumed the situation was, because, afterall, she is the most intelligent and beautiful Kokiri she knows. She grabbed the rope tied to Link and yanked sharply, bringing Link's face inches away from hers.

"Link! How dare you laugh at my sister like that! Here she is, this delicate flower, confiding in you her feelings and desires, and what do you do? You shove it in her face and laugh like some cackling Deku Scrub!" She went on like this, demanding to know how Link dare crush poor Tik's emotions like that. She ranted so loudly, and for just long enough, ignoring her dear, emotionally fragile and broken sister's pleas to stop and listen, that the whole herd of Kokiri marching through the Lost Woods went back to see what the commotion was about, and a wave of murmurs washed through the crowd.

"What's going on?"

"What's Tik doing?"

"Why's she dressed up like her sister?"

"Is that Link tied up in a rope?"

"Link hurt Tik's feelings?"

"We aren't supposed to be pairing up yet!"

"I never liked that guy anyways."

As the volume of the murmurings reached it's apex, the voice of one emerald-haired Kokiri girl stood out "Naru's Love! what is going on here?" Saria stuffed her way through the small crowd of Kokiri to see Tak finally stop her rampage against Link and turn to face the girl whose voice had quieted the others. Seeing Saria gave Tak a vey devilish idea. She grinned evilly, and addressed Saria.

"Ah, you're just in time, Saria. I'm sure you'll love this: Here I am, minding my own business, walking with the rest of the group, when I find that my sister is nowhere to be found. Only, I did find her. It seems she has been ensnared by your _friend_, Link. He led her on, making her think he was going to choose her to be his partner for the festival, but on the condition that she dress up for him. And then, after playing with my dear sister's emotions so cruelly, he laughs in her face!" Tak went over to her sister and hugged her, patting her on the head, saying "there there, you're just the victim of Link's cruel game."

Now, Saria is normally a very levelheaded girl; In fact, she is often said to be the most mature and well-balanced of all the Kokiri, but unfortunately these are not normal times, and along with the physical changes of growing older, the Kokiri, including Saria, are now undergoing emotional growth and the instability that comes along with it. Hearing Tak's accusations that Link had told Tik that he would pair with her at the festival ignited a neverbefore seen side of Saria: jealousy. Rather than calling attention to the obvious holes in Tak's story - Link being tied up, Tik looking more embarrassed from her sister's rant than Link's supposed mind games, Tak's known tendency for telling stories riddled with nonfacts - Saria became upset with Link. She didn't know why she felt this way, or how to make it stop, or why she felt an overwhelming desire to cause Link a great deal of physical pain. Saria's emotions clouded her judgement, and she did what she thought was appropriate for the situation. Saria covered up her hurt with a stern face and marched toward Link. She looked him right in the eyes and felt disgusted. He wouldn't even look her in the eyes, and though she didn't know this, he couldn't bring himself to look at her being angry at him, whether he was at fault or not. He couldn't bear to see Saria ashamed at him.

"How dare you, Link. To toy with her emotions like that. You know how vulnerable we all are right now. For the first time in all of Hyrule's history, the Kokiri are faced with death from becoming old. And what's worse, we're changing. Feeling things we don't know what how to describe, what it is or why, what to do with it, and you treat it like a game. Why? Because you've done this before? When you went off on your quest to save the world and court princess's and make eyes at farmgirls. Where you grew up and experienced these feelings and you could just ask anyone in the kingdom and they'd explain to you, because they went through it too, because it's normal for _your kind_ to grow up. We've never done this before, Link. We have no one to teach us, except you, and you're using your knowledge to play some juvenille headgames. Is it to get back at us? Cause you were considered an outsider? Well I never treated you differently than any of the other Kokiri, so why are you making me hurt so much?"

At Saria's last remark, Link couldn't help but look up at her, and what he saw hurt him worse than any injury that was inflicted on him during his journey six years ago. Saria's magnificently blue eyes welled up with tears, her face contorted in such a pained expression.

Saria turned away from Link and ran. She couldn't stand to look at him. Mido went off after her, and after an awkward minute or two, the crowd dispersed followed Mido. All Link could do was stand there, an image of Saria crying burned into his mind. Tak took a moment to process what she just set in motion. She looked over at Tik, who only gave her a cold look, shaking her head.

Tik put her hand on Link's shoulder. "I'm going to fix this, Link." Link gave Tik an almost imperceptible nod of gratitude and continued to stay standing where he was.

"I know you didn't mean for this to happen, Tak. You just wanted your sister to be happy, so you delivered me to her, and then after that didn't work, you thought maybe it would help if you made Saria mad at me. Only she wasn't mad..."

Tak almost jumped at hearing Link speak to her. She couldn't bring herself to say anything. She was too ashamed to apologize, and she felt even worse that Link practically forgave her already. He just had to be so damn understanding.

"It'd be nice if you could untie me. Please." Link gave a half-hearted chuckle. "After all this and I'm still tied up."


	5. Unexpected Hero

Saria ran. She ran until the other Kokiri were far behind her, until she had enough of a lead to have some privacy to think, to clear her head and try to make sense of the tangle of thoughts and emotions that were strangling her. Why had she snapped like that? Before this, she'd been smart and levelheaded, never jumping to conclusions and always hearing both sides of the story before making any judgements. Why had it hurt so much to hear that Link had told Tik he would pair with her? Before this trip, Saria had thought the entire event was ridiculous, but now she wasn't so sure. She wasn't sure of anything right now. She had to stop and figure it all out.

Saria hadn't even noticed that she'd run all the way to the entrance of the Sacred Forest Meadow, a clearing with a small labyrinth, high walls made of a thick kind of bush creating a simple maze, the final obstacle before reaching the Forest Temple. Feeling the long grass brush against her legs, Saria started to realize where she was and stopped, not wanting to be too far ahead of the Kokiri that they would get lost, afterall, they still had to get through the maze. Saria bent over, putting her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath.

A small rustling in the tall grass caught the emerald haired girl's attention. She stood up straight, still breathing heavily, recovering from her long run, and peered at the area she'd heard the noise coming from. Only she couldn't see. The sun had finally set after a long day's walk, and even with the full moon floating gracefully in the sky, casting a soft light down through the cloudless sky, visibility in the meadow were hampered. Tall trees bordering the meadow sent long shadows across the grass.

The grass rustled again, nearer and more noisely than the last time. Still, Saria couldn't see what was causing it. Everything looked filtered and blurry. Saria wiped her face, her hands coming back wet from the tears that had been partially blinding her. She looked again, listening harder for the noise. Goosebumps ran accross her skin as she heard heavy breathing not of her own, and she stumbled back, tripping over her own feet, terrified, as a Grey Wolfos leapt up from the grass, nearly pouncing on her. The lupine creature stood up on it's large hind legs and let out a howl that made Saria's blood run cold. She scrambled backwards, trying to get some distance between her and the wolven beast. Under normal circumstances, Saria wouldn't be so frightened. She'd faced Wolfos' countless times before, and had even calmed one down enough to pet it. They weren't even that bad once you played them some music. They mostly slept during the day, and usually only ate small game. Saria was safe from anything in the forest when she had her ocarina with her. But night had fallen, and the moon was full, causing the Wolfos to become ravenous and unpredictable, and Saria was far from her normally calm and collected self. She was in the worst place, mentally, to be encountering a moonsick Wolfos.

Saria's hand grasped her ocarina, which hung from her neck by a fine chain; it was a gift from Link. He'd bought it for her at the Hyrule market. She brought the ocarina to her lips, her fingers fumbling to find the right formation to play a song that would put the Wolfos to sleep. A poorly played sharp note burst from the ocarina, failing to lead to any soothing melody, only caused the Wolfos to snarl loudly and lunge.

Instinctually, Saria blew the highest pitched note her ocarina would make as hard as she could. This stopped the Wolfos in mid lunge and it put it's paws over its ears, futily trying to keep the noise from penetrating into its sensitive ears.

"Saria!" Mido came bursting out from the forest, pulling out his slingshot upon seeing the Wolfos. He rushed at it, unleashing a hail of Deku Seeds. Mido halted in front of Saria, putting himself between her and the agonized creature. He exuded a confidence rarely seen from him. He addressed Saria almost casually, smirking in the way only Mido can, as if nothing was happening. "Saria, close your eyes and get ready to play your ocarina." He reached into the bag he had slinged across his back, and produced a Deku Nut. Before the Wolfos could recover from his seedy assault, he threw the Deku Nut at it's feet, turning his head away. The nut exploded, stunning the Wolfos with a blindingly bright light.

Even with her eyes closed, Saria could tell that Mido had thrown a Deku Nut; It's harsh light like staring into the sun, cut through her eyelids, cueing her to play a song. Feeling much calmer now that Mido was here, Saria blew gently into her ocarina. A low, soothing note flowed forth starting an improvised melody. Her fingers danced across the ocarina's surface gracefully, melting each sweeping note into the next, forming a lullaby, soft and low, drifting the dazed Wolfos into a deep sleep.

Mido turned to face Saria. His expression softened as he saw her. Her face was wet with tears, and her dress was dirty from it's unfortunate meeting with the ground. He offered his hand to Saria, and helped her up.

Saria sighed shakily, fighting back another bout of tears. She gave Mido a hug, surprising him with this unexpected gesture. "Thank you for coming after me." She said. "I don't think I would have survived if it weren't for you."

Mido positively glowed. "Well, you know, I was in the neighborhood and... I'm sure you would have done fine. I just helped a little is all."

Saria, to Mido's slight dismay, let go and stepped back. "You wouldn't happen to have a spare hankerchief in that handy bag of yours would you?" Mido obliged and pulled a dark green kerchief out of the bag and handed it to her. Saria dried her eyes, and pulled herself together. "We should head back toward the others. I don't want them to get lost on my account."

Mido nodded, and, placing his hand on the small of Saria's back, started their walk back to join with the other Kokiri.


	6. Confessions Part I

The two slowly walked, eager to be away from the Wolfos, but not especially in a hurry to be around the rest of the Kokiri. Saria still had alot of things on her mind, and Mido, well, he wanted to be alone with Saria as long as possible.

_This is my chance, _Mido thought to himself. _Alone with Saria, we can talk, and now that she probably hates Link, things will be a lot easier for me. What should I say though? She's still pretty upset about the whole thing. _Mido looked over at Saria. She seemed so Confused and hurt. Mido sighed, thoughtfully, and settled on what he was going to say.

"You know, I never really liked Link." Mido said this so casually that it took Saria off guard. Knowing Mido, what would come next would probably include a list of disaggreable qualities that Link had, and at this point, Saria didn't know if she would mind hearing Mido trash talk him. "I didn't think he belonged here," he continued, more seriously, "but the Deku Tree said that he was _supposed_ to be here, so, I put up with him. But you... you took to him right away, and I've always trusted your decisions. If you think someone's a good person, then they can't be half bad. But I still disliked him, because... honestly, Iiii was jealous of him. You and Link have been friends since he could talk. You two share a very close friendship, and for that, I envy Link. You Know him better than you know your own fairy - which I noticed is missing as of late - and you **know**he wouldn't do anything to hurt you, **ever**. _I _know, because I've kept a close watch on him over the years, and I noticed that even after the other Kokiri accepted him as one of us, he has always been the happiest with you."

Saria was honestly surprised. Out of anybody, Mido was the last person she would expect to defend Link. He'd always competed with him for her attention. The fact that Link's _rival _would stick up for him spoke volumes. That alone should have been enough to convincer Saria that this had all been some mistake, but she was still afraid...

"When Tak told me that Link was toying with Tik, something inside of me snapped. At first I was angry because Link was being cruel to Tik, and so I started to scold him, but something else happened. I was hurt, to think that Link would pair with someone. You know, I thought this whole trip was stupid, to do what all the other races do, just because we're growing up, but lately I've been having these feelings around Link. I've always been happy around him, but this was... different. I felt nervous, my heart would beat faster and when he would look at me, it was like I was the only thing he was seeing. And it scares me, because what if he really is how Tak said he is? One minute he could make me feel so happy and the next minute, he'd use me for some twisted game of his. What if being gone, going off on his adventure, saving all of Hyrule and having the gratitude of every pretty girl, including the princess, changed him? What if he isn't the same Link anymore?"

Mido didn't know what to say to that. Link _had_ been gone a long time, and any number of things could have happened.

_But Link hasn't changed. He's been more or less, the same old annoying Link he's always been._ Mido was about to reassure Saria when he heard a rustling in the nearby bushes. He stopped, putting his arm in front of Saria, while reaching for his slingshot with his other hand. He was ready for whatever the woods could throw at him.

Suddenly a familiar voice was shouting "Sa-riiii-aaaa! Miiidooooo!" Tik came barrelling out of the woods, so busy shouting that she hardly noticed as she ran into both Mido and Saria, bowling them over. "Oh!" Tik's face was a painting of surprise and worry. She didn't even bother to get up before she began to talk rapidly. "Are you guys alright? I heard a Wolfos howling and I got so scared. What happened?"

Saria untangled herself from the other two Kokiri and stood up. "Um, we're fine." She said, clearing her throat. "There was a Wolfos, but Mido came and took care of it."

Mido got up and offered a hand to Tik who graciously took his offer. "You took down a Wolfos? Wow, I thought Link was the only one of us that could take a Wolfos by himself. OH! Link!"

Before Tik could continue, Mido interrupted "Well, I uh, I didn't exactly take it down. I just kept it busy while Saria used her ocarina to put it to sleep."

"But, Saria, I have to talk to you about Link." Tik continued.

"I know," Saria went to Tik and embraced her warmly, like the older sister of a girl who had just been stood up by a boy she really fancied. She pressed Tik's head to her chest and stroked Tik's hair and cooed. "I can't believe he would do that to you either. It was just so cold of him. Are you okay?"

"Wh- no, I'm fine. Maybe some scratches from running through the trees like that, and I think I banged my knee when I ran into you guys, but I'm fine, really" Tik pushed Saria back and looked up at her earnestly. "Saria, Link didn't do anything. It was me and Tak. We tied him up, and Tak told me to dress up like this to get his attention, but he just laughed, because I wasn't being me, and he told me I'm really sweet and shouldn't dress like my sister because I'm not her, I'm me, and I realized that I really didn't want Link, I wanted what you and Link have with eachother, and Tak, she just made up that stuff so you would be angry with Link, because she thought I still wanted him and now she's really sorry and Link is, um well he's not really talking much, he's upset that you're upset and... wow, you're really soft."

Saria just stood there, staring at Tik. What had she done? Link hadn't done anything, and she'd torn into him like a Goron at an all you can eat rock buffet.

"Oh, Tik, what've I done?"


	7. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Tik grabbed Saria's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You made an honest mistake. You thought Link was being stupid and selfish, and you scolded him for it. Maybe you went a little overboard and got all emotional, but it happens sometimes, more now than before... Everything will be fine, though. Link will be glad that you aren't upset with him, and things can go back to the way it was before."

Saria took her hand out of Tik's grasp and bit her finger, looking away. "I don't know, Tik. I really screwed up. How am I going to face him after what I said?"

"Link cares about you a lot, Saria. He'll forgive you for what you said."

"But that's even worse. Here I was, being completely unreasonable, and he's just going to forgive me? I'd feel better knowing that he's at least going to be angry with me for wrongly accusing him and... I said _'your kind'_ to him. I called him an outsider. He grew up being singled out by the other Kokiri for not being one of us, for not having a fairy, and I did it too. I'm supposed to be his best friend, and I told him he didn't belong with us. He shouldn't forgive me for that... I don't deserve it." Saria went on, pacing and chewing her lip - a bad habit she would get into when she was stressed out. "Goddesses, I even had the nerve to say I never treated him differently."

Tik watched Saria for a moment, then turned to Mido, who seemed to be at a loss for words. "Mido, I need you to do me a favor. Go back to the group, and tell Link that Saria isn't mad at him, but don't let him come here yet. Saria still has some things to work out. I'm going to talk to her some more, and do what I can to help. Alright?"

Mido nodded to Tik and, with one last glance at Saria, started to jog toward the other Kokiri.

"Saria, what do you think you're going to do? Avoid Link until he leaves again? How's he going to feel when you stop talking to him? Can you imagine how much that'll hurt? His home is here, with the Kokiri, because of you, Saria. Sure, he gets along fine with pretty much everyone except Mido, but I don't think he'd stay with us if you weren't here."

Saria stopped in her tracks, her lip red from biting it anxiously. "I... I can't lose him like that..."

"_No one _wants him to leave, so why are you still doing this to yourself?"

"I'm still scared. I want to be Link's friend, and... I think I want something more, but part of me is afraid he'll reject me. I'm afraid that if we're just friends, he'll end up pairing with another girl, but if he and I become more than just friends, I won't know what to do. Link's already been grown up before, and what if I don't compare to the girls outside of the forest? I don't know, Link's explained to everyone what he's seen out there. Holding hands, dancing... kissing. How do I know he hasn't kissed that princess? Or the farm girl? How does a forest girl that up until now has only ever cared about relaxing or playing the ocarina with the Skullkids and running around, how do I know that Link will want to be with me instead of someone else? What if he and I pair, and he only stays with me because he's afraid to hurt my feelings? Maybe he does want to be with another girl. Before, I'd only ever thought about Link as someone that was fun to be around and that I cared about, as a friend, and now it's all complicated. It's too much to worry about. I just.."

"I don't know if I can handle this" Link, now free from his rope-ly bonds, walked circles around Tak. The two of them were now at the front of the group, with the other Kokiri following them as they took the path Link recognized as the one that led straight to the Sacred Forest Meadow. "Your sister said she was going to find Saria and explain what really happened back there. Shouldn't they all be be back by now?" Link bit his lip - a bad habit he picked up a long time ago that would show up whenever he was anxious or stressed. He continued circling Tak. "What if they got into trouble and they're hurt? I know Saria can usually handle herself in this forest, but what if Mido got in the way and she's hurt because she was trying to protect him?" Link began to walk faster, becoming more agitated.

"Link, I'm still sorry about earlier, but a long time ago, I wandered off into the Lost Woods by myself, and I got lost. For hours, I walked around, trying to find my way out. I soon became hungry and when I found some interesting looking berries, I ate them all, without a second thought. A little while later, I found this huge, spanning field, filled with all these flowers. But they weren't flowers. They were Deku Scrubs. They popped up from the ground, hundreds upon hundreds of them, and they started to spin. It was like a dance. They spun and circled each other, weaving in and out of this pattern. It was the strangest and most fantastic thing I'd ever seen. Then I woke up and vomited for about three hours. I was right next to the entrance to the Lost Woods back in the Kokiri Village. So now I have this thing about circular, repeated motions, so could you **please **stop walking around me like that?"

Link stopped circling and walked along side Tak."Oh, uh, sorry." He said, absentmindedly rummaged through the bag he had secured to his belt. His fingers brushed against the strange rock he'd battle with Woodstalker over. With all that had just been going on with Tik and Tak and Saria, he'd forgotten all about the rock, and the Master Golem at the top of top of the Forest Temple he had to destroy... and the surprise that would be waiting at the temple's entrance. "Sweet Jabu Jabu." Link said. He grabbed Tak by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "I have to talk to Saria before we get to the temple."

"Wha- why?" Tak asked, completely puzzled, and slightly taken by the intensity that Link was looking at her.

"I have to make sure that Saria and I are okay before she meets Zelda and Malon."

"The princess and the farm girl?" Tak raised a sardonic brow at Link. "Why did you invite them?"

"I thought it would be nice for the three of them to get to know each other But if Saria's still upset, things might not go so well."

"Soo, let me get this straight. You thought it would be fun to have your three favorite girls in all of Hyrule meet each other, at a festival that Mido started with the express intention of having everyone pair off? Boy, you need to learn to keep your interests separate."

"What do you mean?" Link asked, cocking his head to the side like a confused puppy.

Tak shrugged Link's hands off her shoulders and took a step back. "...Why do you think Saria ran off crying?"

Link scratched his head. "I uh, I don't honestly know. She was angry because she thought I was playing with your sister's emotions, but I'm not sure why she started crying..." Link stared at the ground for a moment, thinking. "She said that I hurt her, but I don't know how. I thought that once your sister explained that I wasn't really doing what you told her I was doing, things'd just go back to normal." Link shrugged and looked back up, smiling. "I know Saria would get along really well with Zelda and Malon. They're both really nice and fun and pretty..."

Tak rolled her eyes at Link, not wanting to believe what she just heard. "Link, stay with me here. The reasons that you think Saria will get along with those other two are the reasons that _you_ get along with them. Saria is going to be jealous. She didn't have you come here with her so that you could introduce her to the girls you like."

"Why not? Saria told me she wanted to have me along to keep her company, and now I'm providing more company. It'll be great. They can all talk and do girly things; braid each other's hair, I don't know."

"Braid each other's hair? Tak asked, her sardonic brow making an encore.

Link smiled and shuffled his feet a bit. "Well, uh, Malon kept doing it to my hair whenever I visited. I think Saria would look cute with some braids."

"Do you normally let people braid your hair?"

Link blushed. "Noooooo, but Malon really liked doing it, so I, uh, just let her."

"You like this girl, Malon?"

"Yeah, she's great. She taught me how to ride horses, and she has a really good singing voice."

"What about Zelda?"

"I like her too. She's really pretty and we talk about all kinds of things when I go sneak into the garden at the castle."

"Who would you rather see? Between the two of them?"

"I don't know. They're both nice. Realistically, I'd go with Malon. She lives a little closer to the forest, and she doesn't have to sneak past armed guards to see me, but Zelda's re-"

"What about Saria?"

"Whu-?"

"Out of those three girls, who would you rather pair with?"

"...Pair with Saria? Is that why she..."

"She's confused, Link. We all are, actually. But I know, after seeing how she reacted, that she wants more than just friendship from you."

"But, she's... Saria. She's my best friend."

"Can you honestly tell me that you've never felt anything more for Saria?"

"Well, I kind of... When she and I were in my house, and I was packing my stuff for the trip, she was feeling a little claustrophobic, so she went to lay on my bed, and when I looked at her, she was just so... I don't really have the words for it, but I never felt like that with her before. She was always just Saria to me."

"Good, now you're up to speed with the rest of us. But you're gonna have to figure out how you feel about her soon."

"I need to go talk to her." Link turned around and almost bolted off down the path toward the Sacred Forest Meadow, only to be stopped by a severe-looking Mido.

"Not so fast, Link. I have some things to talk with you about."


	8. Confessions Part II

Link took a step back, noticing that Mido stood an inch or so taller than him. _He must be serious._ Link thought. _He never stands up straight._ "Mido, I don't have time to chat with you. I have to talk to Saria." Link made to step past Mido, only to find that Mido was still directly in front of him, standing perfectly still, as if he hadn't moved at all.

"I can't let you go, Link." Mido said, crossing his arms. "Tik asked me to keep you here until Saria is ready to talk to you."

At Tik's mention, Link's eyes widened. _He talked to Tik? She must have found Saria. _"Tik? Did they talk yet? Is Saria okay?"

The harsh look faded slightly from Mido's face as he thought about Saria. "Tik's talking to her now. She explained what really happened, but it seems things are a little more complicated. She's not ready to see you yet," Mido put the fierce look back on his face, "and until she's ready, I'm going to keep you away from her."

"Complicated?" Link's eyebrow's arched upwards, painting a worried and confused expression.

Mido sighed heavily, letting down his guarded countenance once more. "Saria's... feeling a lot of things. She was worried about you, wondering if you'd changed. After Tik came and explained what happened, Saria was relieved to know you were still the boy she knew and cared for, but she was ashamed to have thought so badly of you, and for some things she said while you were still tied up. She convinced herself that she wasn't deserving of your forgiveness... After that, Tik asked that I keep you occupied while her and Saria talked some more. So here I am."

Link was hit, once again, with the weight of how much Saria seemed to be going through, and his determination to go and speak with her intensified."I need to go, Mido. I have to tell Saria what she means to me, and that no matter what she does... I'll always care about her."

Mido smirked, chuckling to himself in an unpleasant manner. "What are you going to do when Saria sees those other girls you have waiting for you at the Forest Temple?"

"W-what?" Link almost fell over out of surprise. _How much did Mido hear?_ Link wondered.

"Princess Zelda, and Malon the farm girl, right? I heard you and Tak talking about them a minute ago, and don't try to play dumb with me, Link. I saw how you were practically drooling at the thought of them. See, I don't think you really care about what happens to Saria. You just don't want her to think badly of you when she sees those two, eagerly awaiting their precious Link. You know what's the worst part though? I had the chance to tell Saria that you were no good for her, but I couldn't do it. It would have hurt her too much. It turns out what Tak said wasn't so off base after all. You really are just playing games here."

Link stared at the ground, ashamed of himself. _Mido's right. _He thought._ All I was worried about was how Saria would think of me. I didn't even think of how she felt. After all, it was just a misunderstanding, right? Nothing **really** happened. Except that something did happen. I just didn't see it. She was crying when she ran from me... I knew that she was hurt. Why did even invite Zelda and Malon in the first place? I invited Malon and Zelda because I like them. But what about what Tak said? Saria has feelings for me. She's my best friend, though... Zelda and Malon are different. Ever since I met Zelda, I've had feelings for her. Her golden hair, and pale skin. And she's a princess! The prestige, the money, high standards of living. And Malon, what a ball of fire! She's so full of energy, and she's straightforward too. She'll let you know exactly what's on her mind... but Saria... they **are** different from her. She's someone that they can never be... She's my best friend._ Link looked back up, his eyes looking almost sad. He spoke quietly, trying to keep his voice steady. "I **do **care about Saria. She's been my best friend since I came to this place, while the rest of you shunned me for having come from outside of your forest. She comforted me while you all ridiculed me for not having a fairy. She stood by my side as _you_ personally attempted to rally everyone against me, saying _I_ killed the Deku Tree. She's the kindest, sweetest, most amazing girl I've ever known, and I have to talk to her, now."

"Why?" Mido practically spat, his eyes filled with a venomous contempt.

Link raised his head, looking straight into Mido's hateful gaze. "Because I think I love her," he said, almost breathlessly. "Get out of the way."


	9. Confessions Part III

Mido was incredibly confused, and his face show it, almost replacing the mask of hatred he wore. "Love? What do you mean?"

Link's face was a mix of emotions. At first, he was sad, realizing how much of a jerk he had been. Next was shock at the realization of how he felt. For a moment, before he said he loved Saria, his mind went blank, and as he said it, he felt like he'd just run from the forest all the way to the Gerudo Desert and back. As the shock passed, Link felt like something in him was glowing. He felt excited, and a smile spread across his face. "Mido," he said, barely able to contain his excitement.

"What?" Mido exasperatedly replied.

"Your boot's untied."

Mido looked down at his boots, compulsively. As soon as he did, he regretted it, knowing he had been duped. Before Mido could look back up, Link sprung, pushing Mido's head down and stepping onto his shoulder. Link put all his weight on that foot and propelled himself into the air, knocking Mido onto his face.

"HYA! Bravo for me!" Link bellowed. He landed in stride and took off down the path to the Sacred Forest Meadow, eager to tell Saria how he felt.

Mido got up, ready to sprint after Link, but he was stopped in his tracks. Something caught him in the gut, making him fold almost in half, landing painfully on his rear.

Tak stood over Mido, holding the rope in her hands tightly. She smiled, pleased with herself, and happy for Link and Saria, if only a little bit jealous. She proceeded to wrap Mido up in the rope, humming to herself, jovially.

"Why did you help him?" Mido asked, looking into the sky, as if the darkening sky held the answer.

Tak sat down, along side Mido, and leaned her shoulder against his. "I saw the look on his face, and I knew he was going to do the right thing."

"What do you suppose Link meant when he said he thinks he loves Saria?" Mido looked over at Tak, thoughtfully. "I've never heard that word before."

"Beats me, I don't know what he meant either." Tak replied. She leaned over a little more and rested her head on Mido's shoulder, closing her eyes. "All I know is that they are sure to be happy together, after Link tells her how he feels."

Mido didn't move. His eyes followed as Tik put her head on his shoulder. He looked down at Tak's, head for a moment. "When are you going to untie me?"

"Mmm, give me a minute." Tak purred. "I'm comfortable."

Mido sighed, resigned to his current situation, sitting in the middle of the forest, tied up, with Tak attached to him, while Link went off to be with Saria. Mido leaned his head on his other shoulder, away from Tak's, and waited patiently, as the other Kokiri passed by them both, casting disapproving glances.

"Alright," Saria breathed out deeply. "I'm ready."

Tik gave Saria a supportive look. "So you're going to tell him?"

"Yeah. I'm going to tell Link how I feel, and... whatever happens is going to happen."

"Nervous?"

"Fairies in the stomach, nervous."

"Buzzing, churning, kinda lightheaded?"

"That's good though, right?"

"Yeah. You wouldn't be this nervous if it wasn't something big. It'll be worth the nausea, I promise. After you and Link talk, you're going to feel so much better."

Saria took a deep, calming breath, and fingered her ocarina, letting it's presence sooth her. Nothing in the forest could harm Saria if she has her ocarina, she reminded herself. She closed her eyes and imagined what she would say to Link.

"Saria" Link whispered.

Saria opened her eyes and found herself looking into Link's. He was smiling warmly at her. "Link..."

"I need to tell you something, Saria."

"Yes?"

Link sighed. "I have been a complete idiot, lately."

"Link, no, you didn't do anything. I was the one that-"

"I _did _do something. I was insensitive and selfish earlier... But that's not what I came to tell you."

Saria chuckled. "Is it another rock?"

"Heh, no. Not another rock." Link took Saria's hand. "You've been my best friend for as long as I can remember. You know me better than anyone else in the world, and I care about you so much. And, just little bit ago, I realized how much you really mean to me. You're the most important person in my life, and I don't know what I'd do without you." Link brought Saria's hand up to his mouth and kissed it. "I know you don't really feel all that fond of this festival, but would you-"

Saria nearly tackled Link, hugging him. "Link, you idiot. I was going to tell you how I felt, but you had to go and upstage me."

"What?"

"Of course I'll be your partner for the festival."

Link chuckled. He rested his hands on the curve of Saria's waist, and leaned back so that he could speak face to face with her. "You make it sound so business-like." He teased.

Saria looked at Link's face, as if she was searching for something, examining his features. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his; her first kiss.

Before Link could realize what had just happened, Saria pulled back and smiled, mischieviously. "You should know, Link. I'm all business."


	10. Treed

Tik knew she had done a good thing, helping Link and Saria come together. She knew, just looking at them, lost in each other's eyes, that they would be different than other Kokiri coupes. But despite the gladness she Tik felt for her friends, she couldn't help but be a little sad. She envied them. Link and Saria fit so well together, and Tik wanted to be able to experience that sort of happiness that comes from being with someone that understands her and likes her for her qualities as well as her faults.

Tik left with a sigh. _The others should be by any minute, _Tik though. _I'll go find Tak and let her know how things turned out._

Link and Saria found themselves up a tree, next to the entrance to the Sacred Forest Meadow. They had been walking, and Link, never afraid to do something childishly fun, had seen a perfect tree to go up into and wait for everyone else. They sat next to each other on a smooth, sturdy branch, high up enough to see fairly far in either direction.

Link was mesmerized. He'd known Saria as long as he could remember, but it was like he was seeing her for the first time. The way her hair had little highlights when the sun hit it just right, and how her eyes seemed to light up when she was happy. He was so entranced that he didn't notice his balance was off.

"Woah!" Link cried, falling backwards.

Saria watched in shock as Link's face disappeared from view. She looked down, expecting to see him falling through the air. One can only imagine the relief she felt, when she saw Link was still on the branch, just upside down, hanging by his legs. "Good Goron, Link! Are you okay?"

Link hung there, for a moment, not quite sure where he was. Last he could remember, he was looking into Saria's gorgeous, blue eyes. "Um, no, I mean, yes, I'm okay. Can you see up, er, down my tunic?"

Saria laughed, glad Link was alright. "Why, did you forget to wear underwear today?"

"No, it's just one of those things. Oh, wait, I'm wearing pants too. Never mind, doesn't matter."

Saria looked up, putting her hand to her nose to and rolling her eyes mirthfully. "That's alright, I'm not looking, either way. Will you be back up here anytime soon?"

Link shifted around and attempted to lift himself back up, failing. "Er, uh, no, it seems I'm having a hard time with all this gear on my back. Maybe you should come down here."

Saria closed her eyes, still looking up. "Alright. See you in a minute." She leaned back and fell, feeling the rush of free fall before abruptly stopping and wobbling back and forth a bit.

"Ah, much better." Link smiled at Saria. "I like being able to look at your face properly when we talk."

"Upside down is hardly proper, Link." Saria frowned in mock scorn.

Link shrugged. "Okay, well if you'd rather I be speaking to your bum."

"No, I'm good like this, for now. You on the other hand; you're a bit red. And that vein in your forehead is looking angry."

"Yeah, blood going to the head and all."

"Maybe you should drop your stuff."

"Working on it. Seems I've put a ridiculous knot in the tie here."

"Lemme help. I've seen this knot before." She said, reaching out for the rope Link was failing to untie.

"Yeah?" Link held the rope for his pack in place, while Saria fiddled with the knot.

"Uh huh." She said, looking intently at the knot. "A few years back when you tied my boots up for me."

"Oh yeah, when both your thumbs were broken?" Link watched as Saria's slender fingers deftly unlaced the rope. He could hardly notice that her thumbs had once been broken.

"Yeah. I still say I got off easier than the Deku Baba that broke my thumbs. Lighting it on fire, after everything else, may have been going over the line."

"Mm, sorry. It was a crime of passion. Anyways, uh, back to the knot. Both of your thumbs were broken, and you somehow managed to get your boots off? Why didn't you just ask me to help?"

"It was late at night, and I knew I wasn't going to be sleeping for a while. I had some time to kill, and I was really _really _bored."

"Hm, I guess after spending that much time with the knot, you'd recognize it anywhere."

Saria undid the last of the knot and held the rope. "Got it! Bombs away?"

Link nodded. "Bombs away." They both let go of the rope and the bag dropped, landing on the ground with a resounding thud.

"Geeze, Link, pack enough?"

"Two swords, the Kokiri Shield, slingshot, ocarina various other things, snacks, deku seeds, uh, clothes. I never pack light."

"Not everything has to be an adventure."

"Yeah, but youuuuu were the one that told me I should get the Kokiri Sword in the first place."

"Point. Alright, I'm starting to get dizzy from being upside down."

"Yeah, let's get back up." With a little effort, the two righted themselves on the branch.

"Try not to fall over again." Saria said, sticking her tongue out at Link.

"You say that like it was my fault. I can't be blamed for falling over while I was so distracted. If you weren't so beautiful, I would have been paying more attention to whether I was right side up or not."

Saria's cheek's turned a lovely shade of crimson at Link's remark. "We should, um, probably get down sometime soon. I think I can see the other's coming. We don't want them to be waiting for us to show up and lead them through the maze." She said, attempting to redirect the conversation.

Link cocked his head to the side, a smile playing at his lips. "You're not so good at this taking compliments thing, are you?"

Saria shifted a little. "I'm new to it, but I think I'm handling them rather well."

"I do too. You just need a little practice is all."

Saria bit her lip and smiled, raising her eyebrows up and making that face that boys find unbearably pretty.

Link wanted more than anything to kiss Saria now, but something was nagging at the back of his mind. He had something he needed to tell her.

Saria noticed the look of concern on Link's face. "Is something on your mind, Link?"

"Oh, I just... With all that's been going on, I forgot about something I need to let you know."

"What is it?"

"When I sent Farin to tell Zelda and Malon that I couldn't meet them outside the forest, I kind of invited them to come to the Forest Temple."

"Oh.."

"Honestly, when I invited them, it was because I sorta liked them. But then I realized how much you mean to me. You're my best friend, and it just feels right to be with you. You're more important to me than anyone else."

Saria took a moment to think. She would be mad with Link for inviting those other girls, but Link was already with her, so they didn't really pose a threat right? "What do you want to do about them now?"

"Well, I don't want to just send them back. It would be rude, and they really are nice girls. I think you would all get along. You could all talk about the stupid things I do. I'm sure there'd be plenty to talk about, hehe. OH! This is great. Since the boys outnumber the girls, this would even things up."

"It would be something for the boys to see some girls from outside the forest. Maybe Zelda and Malon can teach those boys some manners."

"Yeah, we all have a lot to learn, don't we?"

Saria raised a questioning eyebrow at Link. "Even you?"

Link chuckled. "Yeah, even me. Uh, for example": earlier, when you kissed me, I'm pretty sure I didn't do a very good job of reciprocating the gesture."

"Nice vocab there, professor."

"Thanks. Just making up for my lack of good kissage with big words."

"Mm, I was mostly going for the shock factor with that kiss. How'd I do?"

"Good. I mean, I guess that's what a kiss is supposed to feel like."

"You didn't... you mean, you haven't?"

"No. You gave me my first kiss. It was definitely memorable."

"Yeah? I didn't really know what I was doing. I just, you know, lips and lips... going together. But you liked it?"

"Welllll, I don't have anything to compare it to, but yeah, I liked it, alot."

"We're going to have to fix that."

"Huh?"

"I was just thinking, in order to fully appreciate said earlier kiss, we're going to have to give it something to be compared to."


	11. Tik's turn

Tik found the others surprisingly fast. They had progressed further, without the aid of an experienced guide, than she would have thought. Soon, they'd be in the Sacred Forest Meadow. Tik began searching the throng of Kokiri of her sister. Irak led the others, walking in front of the group while chatting up Fado, a pretty, blond Kokiri. It wasn't so unusual that Irak and Fado were talking – those two could often be seen sitting atop the central pillar in the village. What was unusual was that Mido didn't appear to be anywhere near the front, leading in Saria's absence.

Tik kept walking, passing more Kokiri. The Know-It-All brothers were trying to outdo one another to impress Remi, a tall brown-haired girl. Samisol, the eldest Know-It-All, was juggling seven Deku nuts and reciting an epic poem that the Deku Tree had taught them long ago. The other two, Tamisol and Damisol, played small stringed instruments in accompaniment with Sam's performance, all the while attempting to break out into solos.

It seemed that everywhere Tik looked the boys and girls were casting furtive glances at each other, pheromone-laden eye signals making promises of officially pairing in the ceremony at the Forest Temple.

Near the back end of the group, a flash of familiarly colored hair caught Tik's attention. She pushed toward where she saw her sister's hair, deftly swerving in between would-be couples.

What Tik saw shouldn't have come as a shock. It was just like her sister to do something like this, and yet Tik found herself quietly disappointed as she saw Tak attached to Mido, looking as happy as a well fed cat.

Tik grimaced. Even after making such a scene with Link, her sister had found a boy. Though Mido didn't look completely thrilled, he wasn't resisting. Tik didn't want to bug her sister, but, looking at the others around her, she began to feel overwhelmed. Tik almost made to go over to her sister, but she stopped, seeing Mido put his arm around Tak's waist and whisper in her ear. Tik turned around and headed away from Tak, trying to look interested in something, someone, anything, but instead looking lonely and lost, not that anyone would notice.

Magrin stifled a yawn, not even pretending to be interested anymore. Kori, Magrin's friend and the shopkeep for the small store in the village, was making eyes at Tomo, the only girl that prided herself in being rowdier than the boys. It used to be that Tak and Tomo would have contests to see who was louder, but Tak was much too busy these days trying to get the attention of nearly all the boys. Tomo was the champion of the Kokiri Ultimate Arm Wrestling Competition four years in a row. Sam, the eldest and tallest Know-It-All, was the only one that stood a chance against her, at least for now. Magrin had noticed Mido start to work out and train. He sure did take being the boss seriously these days.

Tomo was playing it coy, not sounding too interested, but not rejecting Kori either. Magrin didn't understand why they had to play these games. It was obvious to him that they were both at least a little interested. Why didn't they just get it over with?

Magrin rolled his eyes and decided to let those two play their game. They seemed to like it anyways. He turned and saw Tik wandering without her sister. She looked sad, sadder than usual, anyways. Tik wasn't known for being the cheeriest Kokiri, but when she smiled it was hard not to smile too.

Magrin took a deep breath walked over to Tik.

"Hey, Tik," Magrin said, trying his best to be infectiously happy in hopes of raising Tik's spirits.

Tik looked up, taking a moment to register that someone was talking to her. "Oh, hi," she said.

Magrin sidled up next to her, matching her pace as they both followed the other Kokiri. "I, uh, just saw you walking and I thought you looked a little lonely."

Tik perked up a bit, happy to be talking to someone instead of wandering by herself. "Well, I was going more for a pensive and thoughtful look, but lonely works too," she retorted, playfully, looking up at Magrin who was only just taller than her.

Magrin chuckled. "I just thought you could use some company on this unbelievably long walk."

"Thanks. I mean, yes, I would like some company, thank you. It's been an interesting trip."

"Yeah," Magrin agreed, looking at Tik curiously. "That was something else, back there. Link tied up, Saria running off crying, and you dressed like your sister."

Tik looked down, blushing, realizing she was still dressed up in what had made Link laugh so loudly. "Oh, yeah I forgot. What with all the running around, I didn't even realize I was still wearing all this. I haven't really found the time to change again."

Magrin looked up into the trees. "If you need, I could post lookout while you change over behind one of those big trees."

Tik considered this for a moment before replying. "That's sweet of you, if you really mean to look out for me. I know some of the other boys wouldn't be looking out so much as looking at. But no, I'm fine this way for now. I don't want to get behind the rest of the group. And we should be almost at the Meadow."

"Hey, we aren't all that bad. Well, Sam and his brothers can be kinda lewd sometimes, and Irak is known for being a big smarmasaur, but it's not like we all only care about getting a peek at some skin."

Tik stuck her tongue out at Magrin, almost ruining the impish gesture by stumbling on the uneven forest floor, the laces of her left knee high boot coming loose by snagging on the underbrush. Tik tugged her boot free from the rogue bushes and quickly regained her composure. "I'm sure that's why the favorite hangout of nearly all the boys at any given time, rain or shine, is waterfall by the shop. Any excuse to strip down to your skivvies and encourage the girls to follow suit," She teased.

Magrin returned the gesture, struggling to stick out his tongue while smiling so broadly. "Well for your information, I spend most of my free time in the shop and not outside of it ogling the girls."

Tik decided to ease up on Magrin. He'd had enough teasing for one day. "So, how's Kori doing? Tak and I haven't been in the shop for a long time, so I haven't seen him recently."

"He's doing alright for himself. His biggest customer doesn't go there anymore, but somehow he's getting by."

Tik rolled her eyes and nudged Magrin with her elbow. "Tak wasn't hardly a customer. She always got her food for free."

Magrin nudged Tik back, glad to see that she was looking happier than when he first walked over. "No, I guess you're right. So, was that Mido I saw being chummy with your sister?"

Magrin's question reminded Tik of why she had been wandering in the first place, and she felt resentment wash over her, eroding her newly improved mood. "Yeah. I always thought Mido liked Saria, but he looked pretty comfortable with my sister."

"It's funny," Magrin said, pulling slightly ahead of Tik to move a tree branch out of the way. "I always pictured her with Kori."

"Wait, wha-ohgoodlord!" Tik's shoelace caught firmly under her right boot, preventing her left foot from moving forward and to evenly distribute her weight while her while upper body continued to move forward, effectively toppling her over, leaving her hands and face to greet the ground.

Magrin stopped and waited for Tik, holding the remnants of a branch that had broken while he'd tried to move it out of the path, the loud snap of its breaking having kept him from hearing Tik's unfortunate tumble. "Yeah, I know," he said, still oblivious to Tik's deathly embarrassed state, "he isn't the best looking guy in the forest, but she used to hang out a lot at the shop. She really opened up to him. You know, I think your sister likes Kori, but she's too scared to say anything to him. So she's been acting out to get Kori to notice her in hopes that he would make the first move."

"Could we stop talking about my sister for a minute!?" Tik shouted, red faced and clutching her ankle. Tik was sitting down, wiping the dirt and tears from her face with one hand and holding her ankle with the other. She sniffled. "It's very touching that maybe the reason she's always ignoring me when she isn't pushing boys, who obviously want nothing to do with me, at me is that she's trying to get Kori's attention, but can someone look at me, for once? Am I that unnoticeable?"

Magrin turned around and dropped the branch, startled at Tik's unexpected volume and confused at why she was on the ground.

Tik leaned onto her right hand and shifted her weight to one side, slowly bringing herself off the ground, but faltered and lost her balance, landing back down on her rear with a loud whump.

Magrin could only stare as Tik broke down. He'd never seen anyone get so emotional up close to him, and so he froze, unable to figure out what he was supposed to do.

"Here I am, wearing these ridiculous boots and this ridiculous skirt and this ridiculous top, and still! Still no one looks at me! I mean, my sister isn't even here right now and you' were too busy thinking about her to hear me fall on my face and twist my ankle." Tik decided to give up on trying to get up herself and concentrated on fighting back another bout of tears. "I'm not normally like this." She looked back up at Magrin. "I appreciate what my sister does for me. She's just trying to help, in her own way. I shouldn't try to keep her from being happy on her own. I need to be my own person."

Even though Tik was in such a pitiful condition, Magrin couldn't help but think how pretty she was. He'd always just seen her as Tak's quiet sister, the one that's always in the background.

He stepped over to Tik's side, and knelt down, putting his arm firmly around her waist.

"What are you doing, Magrin?" Tik asked, slightly bewildered at the unexpected warmth of his arm around her.

"Tik," Magrin said, his face only a few inches away from hers. "Put your arm over my shoulder."

"What, why?" She squinted at him, examining his expression. "You aren't trying to kiss me are you?"

Magrin laughed nervously. He knew he wanted to kiss her, but something in him decided that it wouldn't be right if he did. "I'm going to help you walk. We should hurry if we're going to catch up to the others.

Tik let her eyebrows unfurrow, noticing how Magrin looked almost uncomfortable, nervous even. She raised her arm over his head and rested it on his shoulder and looked down at the ground, slightly embarrassed at how she'd suspected he was only trying to make a move on her. "You're not such a bad guy, Magrin." She practically whispered to herself.

Magrin stood up slowly, helping Tik as gently as he could, looking down at their feet and saw her boot's laces were still untied. He let go of Tik's side. "Put your hands on my shoulders. Your boot's still untied and I don't want to step on it and drop you."

Tik nodded and watched Magrin kneel in front of her as she put her hands on top of his shoulders, letting herself trust that he wouldn't let her fall if she put a good portion of her weight on him. She stared down at the top of his head and stifled a giggle as some of the red hair sticking out from under his green Kokiri cap tickled her knee.

Magrin finished tying the boot's laces and stood back up gradually, so as not to knock over Tik. As he stood up all the way, Tik's arms stayed in place, on his shoulders, and he found himself putting his hands on her sides. "We'd, uh, better get a move on," he said, looking down into Tik's dark green eyes.

It took a moment for Tik to respond, but as she realized how close they were to each other, she felt her face get hot and he breath catch. "Right," she said, letting an arm drop.

Magrin took his cue, letting an arm drop and turning to face the direction of the now distant caravan of Kokiri. "Try not to put any weight on that foot, and don't strain yourself. It's been a long day."

Tik leaned against Magrin and began to walk with him, feeling the cool night air on her still still warm cheeks.


	12. Creature in the Meadow

The full moon softly lit the Sacred Forest Meadow, the entrance to the small labyrinth that led to the Forest Temple. As the Kokiri approached the small clearing, finally out of the thick woods, murmurs of excitement breathed through the crowd. They were nearly there. But the excitement soon turned to annoyance, as no one but Saria and Link knew how to get through the high-walled maze, and the both of them were nowhere to be seen.

Mido fought his way to the front of the group to talk with Irak, Tak still clinging happily, and somewhat drowsily, to his arm. He saw the dark skinned Kokiri kneeling beside a large tree, examining a bag and its contents, Fado at his side leaning over his shoulder and whispering to him.

Mido stopped in front of Irak and the bag, knowing immediately who it belonged to as he saw the two swords tied to it. The Kokiri sword and Woodstalker's broad sword that now belonged to Link.

"Something happened," Irak said, looking up from the bag at Mido. "Link wouldn't leave his swords unless he was ambushed and quickly overtaken."

Mido's hand went to his slingshot reflexively. "There's nothing in these woods that would take Link by surprise. Not even the Wolfos that was here earlier, and if it was the Wolfos, there would be blood. It wouldn't have been able to drag Link and Saria off without drawing blood." Mido said, his blue eyes sparking with defiance.

"These woods are big," Irak stated gravely. "I doubt any one of us has seen everything that lives and hunts within the forest. The fact is, Link's bag is here, and with it are his weapons. Something has happened."

Mido didn't want to admit he was wrong. Normally he would wish a horde of monsters would steal Link away by the light of the moon, but Saria was with Link, and neither of them were here. If Link was in trouble, then so was Saria, and Mido didn't even want to think that anything could have happened to her.

Before Mido could come up with an alternate scenario to calm his nerves, a high pitched shriek pierced the oppressive silence. In a flash, Mido whipped his slingshot out, pushing Tak behind him.

Tak and the rest of the Kokiri tightly packed themselves together, facing outwards and looking in all directions. The Know-It-All brothers held Remi to keep her unconscious body from falling down, their faces all displaying seldom shown concern.

"She passed out," Damisol, the youngest Know-It-All said, his voice tight with fear. "She screamed and pointed and then passed out."

Mido took a step toward Damisol and his brothers. "Where did she point?" He asked, hiding the fear creeping up inside of him behind a mask of authority.

"She pointed there," Damisol said, raising a tremor-ridden finger toward the dark entrance of the Woods they had just emerged from.

Mido raised his slingshot, slipping a Deku seed into its leather pouch and turned to face the entrance of the Lost Woods. Mido took aim, his eyes darting back and forth, searching the darkness of the woods in front of him for signs of movement. He stood there, arms taut, holding his slingshot out in front of him, ready to fire at anything resembling a threat.

From behind, a rustling in the grass pricked at Mido's ears. He swung around a half turn and fired at the tall grass to the immediate left of the maze's entryway. The Deku seed swished harmlessly into the grass, and Mido already had another seed ready; his eyes never left the grass he'd just shot at.

Around Mido, the Kokiri panicked, the mass of them pressing against each other, all of them trying to get into the perceived safety of the center of the pulsing cluster they had created with their bodies.

Mido stood off to the side of his hysterical companions, still staring at the same patch of tall grass he'd assaulted, daring his unseen opponent to come out.

When the shadowy figure whipped out of the tall grass, headed toward the grass on the other side of the maze's entrance, Mido was ready. He shot two seeds in rapid succession, firing at where the dark figure would be as it ran. Mido was rewarded by the sound of two loud cracks as the seeds struck something solid. His excitement however, soon turned to dread when he saw, glinting in the moonlight, the two seeds he had shot sailing back through the air, landing at his feet.

Mido's hand reflexively went to reload his slingshot, only finding one seed left in the bag at his waist; no more Deku nuts or other surprises greeted him either. What kind of creature could block his shots and send them back with such ease? Mido bent down, his hand scrabbling frantically for the two seeds that had been hit back at him. This monster was taunting him, Mido thought. Only playing with him, relishing in their terror before coming in to finish it.

Mido's panicked thoughts were interrupted by a loud chorus of shrieks. Before he could turn around, he swore he could feel hot breath on his neck. He spun to face the forest again and was met by an empty field of vision, save for the teeming mass of Kokiri next to him.

A lone voice brought itself to Mido's attention. "The swords are gone!" Kori's normally confident bass voice called out feebly from the outer layer of the group.

"Where did they go?" Mido shouted. No reply came and only a maddening silence followed. He had to keep a level head. This creature had speed and skill unheard of in any beast Mido had seen or even knew existed, and now it seemed that it had Link's swords and shield. A shroud of terror threatened to overcome Mido's senses. The whole meadow seemed alive. Behind every tree and bush, Mido saw movement, creatures waiting with cruel smiles and burning eyes. Mido closed his eyes, blocked out his the foolish tricks his mind was playing with him. He focused, letting all all his efforts lie in slowing the beating of his frenzied heart.

A sharp trilling shriek ripped Mido out of his almost comforting meditative state, and all eyes and bodies turned to face their tormentor. It stood no farther than twenty feet away, at least six heads taller than the tallest Kokiri in the forest. The humanoid creature swayed and stumbled toward them, a dark and menacing beast that dripped mud and sticks and leaves as it trudged across the meadow, waving its too many arms from its hideously long torso. One of the beasts arms was too long and skinny, and stuck into the ground behind it were the two mismatched swords that had belonged to Link.

The thing lurched toward the Kokiri and Mido fired his last three seeds with unrivaled speed and accuracy, each seed aimed at a different part of the beast's body.

Mido didn't expect the seeds to take down the creature with his last desperate act, and all he could do was stare in disbelief as the tall monster struck down all three seeds with one sweeping motion of it's long stick-like arm. He had failed to protect his friends. He had nothing left; no more seeds, no more nuts, no tricks or plans. The way that thing had moved, speeding through the foliage faster than they could follow, there was no way Mido would make it to the swords stuck in the ground behind the beast. Mido stared in abject terror at the author of their doom, while it stumbled closer, revealing its two mouths - one at the top and one halfway up the body - teeth glistening in the moonlight. They were all going to die and it was his fault. If only he'd been a better leader, a better fighter, had trained harder to be like him.

The thing was now directly in front of the Kokiri, its too many arms raised into the air, twittering chirruping noises coming out from it's lower mouth. It stopped five feet away, towering over them all. It opened wide it's twin maws and let out what the Kokiri could only assume would be the last thing they would ever hear

"BOOGITY BOOGITY BOOGITY!"

The Kokiri all screamed, eyes closed with mind numbing fear, unaware that the creature had fallen over, breaking apart into what was actually two mud-covered Kokiri, unable to hold themselves up against the fits of laughter overcoming them both.

Mido was the first to stop screaming, and when the others saw who the creature really was, they stopped too. Mido opened his mouth and stepped forward, ready to yell for quite some time at Link, but there was still one screaming Kokiri left.

Irak, eyes still clamped shut, didn't know everyone was staring at him - except Link and Saria, who were still on the ground laughing at what remarkable faces the others had made when the two of them had yelled their silly battle cry. Fado, somewhat hesitant to touch him for fear of what he might do in such a state of panic, put her hands on his shoulders and gently shook him.

Irak opened his eyes, and upon seeing Fado's amused expression, cut short his girlish shriek, blushing as he noticed that all eyes were on him.

Mido set about to yell at Link once more, but was once again interrupted. The Know-It-All brothers had succumbed to adrenaline-filled hysteria - along with Link and Saria's contagious laughter - and almost dropped Remi, who had still not yet come to. Another snicker followed, coming from Tak, who had been clutching onto Fado's arm throughout the whole ordeal.

Before Mido could object, everyone not unconscious was wiping their eyes and clutching their sides, having fallen victim to the laughter rippling through the group.

Eventually the laughter died down and everyone turned their attention to Mido, who stood, arms crossed, with a sour expression on his face, a look that could have frozen all of Lake Hyrule. The anger was just a mask, something to hide his embarrassment and hurt behind. He couldn't let anyone know how he felt. He couldn't let it show, and so he stuffed it all behind a facade of anger for distasteful conduct unbecoming of a Kokiri. He took a deep breath, waiting for Saria and Link to finally stand up. With some effort, the two finally suppressed their sniggering and managed to get off the ground, holding onto each other for support.

"Well done, Link!" Tamisol, the middle Know-It-All shouted. "You've earned our respect as fellow trickers."

Link nodded to the enthusiastic Know-It-Alls and then looked back at Mido, meeting his hard stare.

"Watch your back, Link," Mido said, coldly, his mouth twitching into a cruel smile. "I will get you back for this."

Link tilted his head to one side, resting it atop Saria's. "What about Saria? She got you too," Link said. Saria only grinned devilishly, oblivious as Link was to the hurt they had caused Mido.

Mido looked away, up at the moon and scoffed. "Pfft, she's always had a soft spot for you, Link," he returned his hard gaze back at his rival. "You talked her into it. She's as safe as the other victims of your childish prank."

Link straightened up, brow furrowed to match Mido's angry stare. "Fair enough."

"What say we get on with this maze?" Mido said, almost quietly.

"Finally!" Yelled an exasperated Tomo. "It feels like we've been walking for years!"

"Wait," Tik said, looking frantically around, searching the group for her wayward sister. "Tik isn't with us," she said to Link, still searching the group, turning her head this way and that in hopes she had only overlooked her sister, thought that would be impossible for Tak, since he and her sister were identical twins, and there was no way Tak could overlook such beauty as her sister.

Mido, disappointed that Tak had went directly to Link for help, stepped aside and called quietly for Kori to do a headcount. Kori went and rounded up the others, taking role call, while Link and Saria assured Tak that her sister would be fine. Kori came back a minute later, out of breath from running.

"Everyone is accounted for, except Miss Tik and Magrin," Kori told Mido, leaning forward with his hands on his knees to help catch his breath. He stood up straight, looking at Mido earnestly. "I hope that nothing has happened . It would devastate Tak, as well as the others and myself. She'd never forgive herself for letting her sister out of her sight. Of course it would be a tragedy if anything unfortunate happened to Magrin too."

Mido looked back toward the forest. "I don't want anyone getting hurt, Kori. Go tell Link what we know of the situation. Both Magrin and Tik are missing."

Kori simply nodded and jogged toward Link and the others.

Mido stayed still for a moment, staring into the darkness of the thick forest. "If something happens, will I be able to help, or will I just get in the way?" he whispered to himself.

Link and Saria stood next to each other, still holding hands, still covered from head to toe with mud, except for their faces; they had wiped off each other's faces in a display of coupley cuteness that had incited jealous grunts from the boys and had elicited spontaneous sighs and utterances of "awwwwwww" from the girls. They stood with Tak, trying to help reassure her that her sister would be fine, that she was only just a little bit behind the group, and that she did in fact have something of a sense of direction. Tik had found Saria after she'd run off (though, Saria had only run in a straight line, so that wasn't a very impressive feat of navigation).

Kori approached Saria, Link and Tak, nodding to each of them in turn. "I've taken a headcount of the Kokiri here, and we are missing two: Magrin, and Miss Tik." He turned to face Tak, who shied away from his gaze. Kori took this as a sign of despair and took hold of her shoulders, locking eyes with her. "Your sister is fine, Miss Tak. I saw Magrin go over to her earlier, and they are likely together. I don't know what could have happened to make them lose track of us, but Magrin will take care of your sister and see that they both make it back safely."

Tak, stunned by Kori's impassioned words and kind eyes, slowly nodded. Magrin wasn't known to be the best fighter or the bravest Kokiri, but Kori had so much faith in him; Tak couldn't dismiss that. Tak blushed, somewhat flustered at being so close to Kori (though she didn't know this consciously at the time, Kori was the only Kokiri she had ever really truly liked in a romantic sense), whispered "Thank you.'

Kori nodded and then turned to Link, letting go of Tak, who would still feel the warmth of his reassuring grip for several more minutes. "What should we do, Link?"

Link only stared intently at Kori, not registering that he was being directly spoken to, until Saria gave him a gentle nudge. "Hmm?" he asked Saria. She pointed to Kori, who was waiting patiently, and whispered.

"He asked you what we should do."

Link stared intently at Kori once again. "I'm sorry, don't you mean, 'what should we do, Mido?'"

Kori simply shook his head.

"Whyyyyy would you be asking me? Mido's the leader, and he's made it quite clear that he doesn't want me doing any leadery type things behind his back." Link squinted at Kori. "Are you going over Mido's head?"

"No," Kori raised a hand in objection. He glanced back at where Mido was. "Mido told me to do this. I'm afraid his confidence as leader has been shaken. He feels he failed at protecting everyone when the two of you attacked."

"Oh," Link said, raising his eyebrows. Link felt slightly conflicted. Mido had never been the greatest leader. He was bossy and stubborn and only wanted to get his own way. He'd never been much concerned with the group as a whole as long as he was considered the boss. Link looked at Mido and saw him separated from the others, staring into the woods. He looked strangely empty to Link.

"So," Kori said, folding his hands in front of him, "do you have a plan?"

Link decided right then what he'd do. He squeezed Saria's hand and turned to face her, smiling once again as he saw her bright eyes searching his face eagerly. "Saria, I need you to lead the others to the Forest Temple with Mido." He glanced briefly at Tak and nodded to her. "Tak and I are going to stay behind and wait for Tik and Magrin. They can't be too far behind."

Saria let go of Link's hand and saluted in mock seriousness before leaning forward and kissing him. "See you at the Temple." She whispered in his ear.

Link turned to Kori, rubbing his ear with his palm. "It tickles just a bit when she does that."

Kori didn't roll his eyes. He only waited for instructions on how to best help the situation.

Link stopped rubbing his ear and leaned forward with his hands behind his back. "Help Saria get everyone together at the mouth of the maze."

"And Mido?"

Link turned his head and leaned back, fixing his gaze on the two swords behind him that he and Saria had stuck in the ground during their little stunt. "Oh, I'll deal with Mido." He set off toward the swords, already stretching his arms and turning this way and that to loosen up for what was soon to come.

Tak went to follow Link, but Kori grabbed her hand. Tak looked at him and tried to muster up a happy face.

"I look forward to when I can see you freely smiling again, Miss Tak." Kori said. He let her go and she sped away, keeping his words at the front of her mind.

"Mido," Link shouted, halting his loping stride.

"What do you want?" an irritated Mido replied, standing only a few feet away with his back turned to Link. He was the last person Mido wanted to talk to at the moment. He'd probably come to gloat about how he was better suited to be the Kokiri's leader, and, at the moment, Mido was inclined to agree. Link was stronger, a better fighter, more experienced, and he had charisma. Link had won over the Kokiri that used to shun him. They would undoubtedly follow him he asked.

"An explanation would be nice," Link grunted, setting his recently reacquired luggage down and adjusting the buckle on his sword's carrying belt. "Like why you suddenly handed the decision of what to do over to me." Link kneeled down and checked his boots' straps. He stood back up and dusted off his leggings - not that his dusting did much to remove any but a few loose flakes of mud from his leggings. "You would never do that, Mido. You've never done it before, and why should you start now?" Link looked back up to find Mido facing him, looking sullen and angry at himself."

With a considerable amount of effort, Mido forced himself to speak. "I couldn't protect them," he nearly mumbled.

"Against what?" Link asked casually, busying himself by tightening and readjusting the leather gauntlets on his forearms. "I heard you handled a moonsick Wolfos just fine."

Mido's eyes widened. He had handled a maddened Wolfos. Not by himself though. He'd only helped to hold it off until he and Saria could run away.

"Were you scared?" Link asked, nearly yelled, his eyes full of fire.

"Terrified," Mido said, unclenching his jaw. "It was the scariest thing I've ever had to do."

"But you still did it, Mido!" Link took a step forward, his right hand tightening around the sheath of the Kokiri sword, waving it at Mido. "If it weren't for you, Saria would be dead. So why are you so down on yourself?"

"I froze, Link!" Mido spat back. "You and Saria scared everone, but I'm supposed to be the leader, and even though they weren't in any real danger, I couldn't do anything to protect them!" Mido opened his mouth to shout more, but his breath caught short, as Link threw the Kokiri sword directly at his feet.

Mido's reflexes took over and he hopped backwards, his hands already loading a seed he had recovered from the ground only minutes before. In less than a blink of an eye, Mido had shot a seed at Link's face.

Link stood absolutely still, waiting until the last second, looking almost peaceful, before unleashing the sword on his back to smack away the deku seed that only a moment ago had been rocketing toward his forehead. The seed deflected harmlessly away, having hit the flat of Link's blade. Link reached behind himself and unhitched the Kokiri shield from his back, lightly tossing it to Mido, who caught it with ease. "You've been training harder than anyone else in the forest, Mido. You are the most dedicated and stubborn one of us. Not even the Know-It-Alls have wrested control of the group from you after all these years. Who else could be fit to lead?"

Mido opened his mouth to protest, but Link interrupted him.

"I know you froze, Mido. It happens. Especially when you can't see your enemy."

"Link," Mido said, staring at the Kokiri shield in his hands. "were you ever scared, when you had to go, er, save Hyrule and the world as we know it?"

Link smiled - only because he knew Mido wasn't looking - and returned his sword to it's sheath, sliding it home with a satisfying clack as the hand guard met the wooden sheath's mouth. "My fist night out of the forest, I ended up staying in a tree all night to hide from the Stalchildren that roam Hyrule Field after sunset."

Mido chuckled, imagining Link up a tree, wetting himself over what he envisioned a Stalchild to be, which was a pretty unintimidating creature in his mind.

"The second night, though, I got fed up with hiding and went after a lone Stalchild. After that it wasn't so bad. At least in the field. As I went along, the monsters got scarier, and I had to keep getting over that fear."

Mido looked up from the shield. "How did you do it?"

"I kept thinking of what I was fighting for," Link said. He briefly looked back toward where Saria was organizing the others at the labyrinth's entrance. "Who I was fighting for," he said almost to himself. "I couldn't give up, no matter how scared I got."

Mido stared down at the Kokiri sword stuck in the ground only a few inches from his toes, looking at his reflection in its blade. He scowled at it, grabbing the sword by its hilt and yanking it from the ground. He thrust out his other hand and motioned for Link to give him the sword's sheath. "Here's the plan!" Mido bellowed. "You stay behind with Tak and wait for Tik and Magrin, while I lead the others through the maze. You and Saria know these woods better than anyone else and I know you'll be able to get those three to the temple, no problem."

Link suppressed a smile, knowing full well that Mido would see his expression as an act of insubordination. He handed Mido the Kokiri sword's sheath and nodded. He watched Mido march off, chuckling to himself as Mido aggressively attached the sheath and his belt.

Tak popped up from the underbrush, just then and leaned an elbow on Link's shoulder. "You're a lot more clever than I give you credit for, Link."

Link took in Tak's comical appearance. She stood next to him, wearing a crown of twigs and leaves, her face streaked with dirt, presumably as camouflage for hiding in the bushes. "How much of that did you see?" he asked.

Tak blinked several times and then flashed an impish grin. "So Mr. Big hero used to hide in trees, eh?" he took her elbow off Link's shoulder and nudged his side a few times.

"Only until Navi's insults got me angry enough that I forgot how scared I was."


End file.
